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Polish Your
Chapters:
Small Things Can Make the Difference Between Acceptance and Rejection
"Musings" for July 2006
by Margot Finke
If you are a writer of children's books, small things do matter. This is when seasoned writers weed out the small things they missed, and further enrich their plots and characters. For writers, polish is not something you put on furniture, and combine with lots of elbow grease. It is that final read-through, where vital tweaks add polish that makes their plot and characters shine.
#1 - Read your chapters in a different way
•
Print out your chapters and read them.
• Use a different font for that final read
through.
• Read it backwards! YES--I did write "backwards."
• Read it out loud.
• Have someone read it to you.
Following one of the above suggestions will undoubtedly bring to light bloopers galore.
#2 - Polish out small errors
Dig out your trusty Find & Replace Application (Control F in Word). Be ruthless. Hunt down every offender.
•Replace
verbs that are as limp as over-cooked noodles.
• Delete the rash of adverbs in every chapter.
• GASP! Certain words, written when you
were unconscious, pepper your pages - like, very, that, nice, some,
big, little, etc. Prune them.
• Zap typos!
#3 - Evaluate your plot and characters
You've had the manuscript buried in the basement for a few months
- right? Now, read it as a potential buyer or publisher. Yikes! Did
you really write this stuff?
• The hook you planted on the first page
might catch dust: no way an editor.
• Your book's pace is slower than Aunt
Nellie using her walker.
• Yawns show up where there should be mounting
tension.
• What were you thinking? Several chapters
waffle on without offering a clue.
• Your main character's personality needs
an infusion of moral fiber, a fault or two to make him human, and
perhaps a touch of humility.
• Hey, two of the minor characters would
really shine if you added an enriching segment or two - go for it!
• Hmmmm. . . Maybe humor isn't your forte`.
• Does Uncle Joe contribute anything other
than his nasty attitude?
• Oh NO! An information dump.
• Several descriptive passages go on forever.
• Yikes! And you thought you had tight
writing down cold.
• The ending doesn't feel half as neat
as it did a couple of months ago.
Get the Idea?
#4 - Rework, tweak, and enrich
Take notes while you are on plot and character patrol. Jot down ideas. Consult with your critique partners if you need feedback. Then, take a break. Let new ideas simmer in your conscious and unconscious mind. Allow them to coalesce into stronger characters, more powerful plot twists, and whatever else is needed for that final polish.
Repeat these four steps until your book is polished to perfection.
HAPPY WRITING
MATES!
Margot Finke's biography and index to Musings.
