Tone up those saggy middles

Editing and rewriting your novel part 2.

SoYouThinkYouCanWrite contest by Harlequin is nearly resolved. It seems that the organisers replied to the majority of participants. Although we all expected there would be rejections, the fact that there will be A WINNER came as a bit of surprise. I guess, the winner (and runners-up?) will be announced on Monday on Harlequin blog.

photo by Idea goat FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of my eHarlequin and blogging friends, Serenity Woods, has already got her reply (you can read her well-balanced and thoughtful, if not serene reflections on her experience here).

I'm still waiting and trying to carry on editing my NaNo and SYTYCW novel, in case I've got a request for a partial (miracles happen :)). I've rewritten my opening chapter and the following two and now I'm entering the shaky ground of the middle.

Roz Morris have recently posted on her her 3 fixes to give a story a good middle, and here are mine.
How to write (and rewrite) a well-paced middle?

1. Think of your character arc. Where is where she/he needs to get by the end of the book? Where is she/he now? What are their motivations? What changes does she/he need to undergo to get there? What challenges do you throw at her/him to give her/him a chance to change? How do you show the change happen?
Repeat for any main character you have. Make sure their stories intertwine.

2. Think in scenes. Which scenes are crucial to your character and the story? Which scenes show the journey? Write these ones first, then the less important but still necessary ones. Link them. In genre fiction links can (or even should) be limited to a couple of sentences (e.g. When she got off the bus, he was already waiting with a bunch of flowers).

3. Plan for your climax. Is there anyway you can foreshadow your climax? Which of the middle scences could be used to hint the reader at what is to come? Make sure that you have shown all the skills, abilities etc your character needs for the final challenge and the climax (miracles happens but not in fiction, so no last minute secret weapons digged out of the pocket, unless you've hinted at the existence of this pocket and your character's tendency to hind things in pockets, and their mastery at using the secret weapon, and... )

4. Keep track of what you're doing and stay focused on the story end. Have a map of your hero journey or a plot line and tick the milestones along the way. Keep record of the number of pages you write every day. Get one of those word count/ writing progress meters widgets (you can get them e.g. from Writertopia)- I love them! - it helps me see the end.


Enjoy it!

Editing, querying and feeling naked

I'm still editing my NaNoWriMoNovel. I'm right in the middle, just done Chapter 5 out of 10 (in which my Heroine starts changing but does not realise it yet) and I'm pleasantly surprised because I actually like the story!
This is unusual for me. I tend to feel embarrassed when reading what I've written, regardless of the quality. I think it may be something to do with feeling exposed, naked. As if I've undressed myself in a public place. Any of you have a similar problem?
photo by Ambro (Freedigitalphotos.net)

In the meantime I've received an email from the publisher of my nonfiction book with a request to correct 3 (THREE) sentences from the manuscript. Now, I'm not sure what to think: is it good or bad (my initial reaction was that's it's good), or only just a beginning?
What do you think?


Correcting these three sentences shouldn't take me longer that 15 minutes (usual comfort break included), so tonight I'm back to my novel.
I will however take a little break to participate in this fantastic query contest on Roni Loren blog. I'm going to enter a query for my still unfinished women's fiction novel.
Anyone else entering?

How to revise your manuscript

Finally I've sent that nonfiction project off to the Publisher and here came time for revision and self-editing of my NaNoWriMo novel.


So I've read all the posts on revising and self-editing I've bookmarked over the last couple of months, read and made notes from a book by James Scott Bell 'Revision & self-editing' and, as advised, sat to print my manuscript off.
But my printer ran out of ink and I had to wait for a new cartrige.

In the meantime I've decided to collate advice on how to revise a manuscript / a novel.

Here's the summary of what I've found out:


Revising your manuscript in 6 steps:
1. Print your entire manuscript off.
Make sure the font is legible, with 1,5-2 spaces between the lines, margins ample enough to make notes on them; one sided preferably. Many revision experts advice to print your MS the way you would to send it to your publisher.


2. Get mentally prepared for revisions - this is going to make your book better, stronger, punchier. Janice Hardy has more advice on how to put yourself in the right mood before revisions on her blog The Other side of the Story.


3. Get ready to read: get a pen (why not a red one?), a comfy chair, a table, good lighting, a bit of peace and quiet.
Holy Lisle also suggests a notebook and nerves of steel.

3a. At this stage is also good to remind yourself- what is the theme of your book- who are your main characters and what are their emotional journey- what is the conflict about


4. Read your manuscript.
JS Bell advises to read MS in a couple of settings, as a reader would; don't make any changes at this point, just make comments on the MS (red pen comes handy).

You may want to use shorthand markings to make comments about the changes you may want to make.
The best way of going about it is to have your own system.
I'm going to use:
-  V to mark places where story is dragging on (the more VVV, the worse)
- [?...] around passages that feel unnecessary/ in the wrong place
- [ more!] where I feel I need to add something
- underlining and a circle for potential plot holes (green or amber eyes??)
- circle around the name of a character / an event that I've decided to change or may not otherwise suit the plot, emotional arch or the story theme


5. Analize your
- story (does it make sense? is the plot compelling? does it flow nicely? Are the stakes high enough?)
- pace/flow ( is the pace right? does every scene is a story in itself and does it end with a mini-climax?)
- characters (do they jump off the page? are they tri-dimensional? do they grow? what are their motivations and does it make sense?
- setting (does it add another layer to your story? does it change? do you use all 5 senses?)
- dialogue (does it sound natural? does it move the story forward or help building your characters? is it rambling?)
- voice/style (show vs tell? active verbs or passive voice? does the opening paragraph introduces the main threads of the story?)
- technicalities (lenght of the manuscript and chapters, ponctuation, grammar, formatting etc)

More advice on specific aspects of this stage: Fiction Editing Checklist by Sherry on Dark Angel's Blog and A self-editing checklist by The Book Doctor


6. Implement the changes in your manuscript.


The process can be repeated until you are happy with the final product.


What are your revising and editing tips?

I'm off to find a comfy chair.