When you’re renovating a house and you put up new drywall, you have to seal the joints with putty so that when the wall is painted, the joins between the drywall don’t show. Sometimes our first drafts need a similar treatment. ☐ Vestiges of earlier versions have been edited into …
Tag: Edit Like A Pro
Transitions are key to maintaining story flow
The next item on the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist has to do with continuity: ☐ Transitions clearly show how much time has elapsed and show how events relate to each other. At the start of each scene, and especially at the start of chapters, give the reader some clues to …
Two flashback-like gimmicks to avoid
Last time we looked at how to use flashbacks effectively. But in new writers’ stories I often see a couple of ineffective ploys akin to flashbacks. One is what I call the Pointless Flashback—it flashes back to something that happened within the span of the story’s timeline. A flashback is …
Flashbacks useful if handled carefully
Many writing teachers and critique partners will tell you not to use flashbacks at all. I’m never one to discard a potentially useful technique. It is possible to use flashbacks, and to do them well. You don’t want to use too many of them, or readers will start to wonder …
The mechanics of chapterization
Last time we talked about chapter breaks from a story standpoint. Now let’s look at the mechanics of how to do it. I don’t recommend breaking your book out into chapters until you’re in at least your second draft and maybe even later. If you put chapter breaks in early, …
Chapter length is important to structure
It may seem trivial, but how long to make the chapters in a novel is a detail worth paying attention to. But this item also bears some explanation. ☐ Chapters are of approximately similar lengths. Generally speaking, you want your chapters to be consistent in their length, as jerking back …
A strong opening will grab readers
Many readers, whether in a shop or on Amazon, will make a decision about whether to buy a book by reading the first few pages. If you’re lucky, they read pages. They may only read the first few lines. And if you are seeking traditional publication, whether through an agent …
Find the right starting point for your novel
Figuring out how to open your story is difficult, because there might be any number of “right times” to begin your story. But in the Elements of Fiction Editing Checklist I have avoided phrasing things in the negative, so rather than saying “don’t start at the wrong time,” I put it …
Avoid the unnecessary prologue
I took a week off for the Realm Makers conference. Had a fabulous time with all my fellow SpecFic writers, and got some good feedback on my class about representing multiple languages in speculative fiction. Based on that feedback, I’ll be putting the information into a white paper later this …
An alternative to the five-act structure
The traditional three- and five-act structure is great for writers who outline. For those who don’t, not so much which is why it’s not a huge problem if you look at this item on the checklist and can’t really check it off: ☐ Key events or turning points form a …