Writing Prescription Twenty-Two
In today's Writing Prescription, I want to give you a few quick tips on revising your works -
1. SHARPEN descriptive passages to make characters, settings, and action more VIVID.
2. Look for:
a) too much or too little DESCRIPTION or RESEARCH;
b) 'info dung' - too many ADJECTIVES;
c) information in the wrong place.
3. Give just enough information for readers to accept the realism of the scene, but not so much as to numb them.
4. CUT repetition, words that repeat what the reader already knows because it's been directly said or implied elsewhere.
5. 75% of all revision is eliminating words already written; the remaining 25% is improving the words that remain.
TERRIFIC FREE ONLINE EDITING WEBSITES:
editminion.com
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Evaluate your finished work:
1. Title: is it catchy? Short? Appropriate?
2. Opening: does it arouse interest and hook the reader?
3. Is the book logically presented?
4. Sentences: are their lengths varied?
5. Have frequent paragraph breaks.
6. Does it conclude and get tied together at the end/ last page?
7. Did you check spelling?
8. Did you check if the punctuation clarifies what is written?
Starting a sentence with AND or BUT is perfectly acceptable.
9. Don't overuse italics and BOLD.
Word of the day – GUILELESS: artless, innocent.
Character flaw # OVERPROTECTIVE: to protect too much, coddle;
# OVERZEALOUS: excessive enthusiasm or intense devotion to a cause or idea.