Cheryl Rainfield's Blog, page 111

I really love editing my manuscripts—as much as I enjoy writing them! Part of that enjoyment is knowing that I can make good (or crappy) writing great through editing (and re-editing) my work. There's a feeling of such satisfaction when the words sound and feel right, when you know that they're going to have the impact you want them to have.

I find that for me, editing is less overwhelming if I go through a chapter, or the entire manuscript, looking for just one thing—one weakness I need to fix, one story thread I want to add or emphasize. I still end up changing the language as I go to make it more powerful, no matter what I'm looking for, but with only one conscious focus, the editing seems easier. I make several passes of a manuscript, looking for something different each time.

Here are some things that I've found really helpful and important in doing a good edit. These are the things that work for me; everyone has their own ways of writing and editing, and like any advice, it's important to take what works for you, and leave the rest. I hope you'll find some helpful techniques here that you might not have known about.

Put your work away before you edit it.

I've found that it helps to have at least a few weeks, if not a month, of time away from your work before you start editing it. It helps you see the work more clearly, with fresh eyes. Things you might not notice if you worked on it right away stand out when you've given yourself time away from a particular manuscript before editing it.

Read Your Work Aloud.

This sounds simple, but it's very important. In reading aloud your writing, you can hear when something isn't working, when you stumble over a phrase or a word, when something is awkward or just isn't giving you the right feeling. I read almost every revision over, aloud, and it helps me hone my edit.

Look For Your Blind Spots.

I think every writer has a blind spot. One of mine is that I leave out a lot of physical description of the world around the characters in early drafts, focusing more, instead, on the emotional life and reactions of the characters. I know and accept that I do that when I write, especially in early drafts. So in editing my work, I try to see where I can sprinkle in some description and still have it sound natural (without becoming an information dump). Recognizing your blind spot/s, and then working on them in an edit, can bring greater fullness, depth, and life into your writing.

Look For Your Overused Habits.

In some manuscripts I've read from others, I see them using the same body language for various characters over and over—she blinked, he blinked; he clenched his fists, she clenched her fists. It becomes repetitive, monotonous, and even irritating. I'm guilty of that myself; I know I tend to use many of the forms of body language that I myself use. It helps to recognize what words, habits, or body language you tend to gravitate to, and try to replace some of them for fresher examples. Once you know your overused phrases, you can also do a search and replace to find them easily.

Make Sure Character Names Are Different.

Some readers get confused if the names of your characters start with the same letter, especially if there are many characters. It can help to make sure that your characters all have names that start with different letters.

Try To Avoid Cliches and Stereotypes.

I think clichés shouldn't be used unless you're intentionally putting them into a character's dialogue to make a point about a character. Otherwise clichés stand out like a sore thumb. (grinning) When you find clichés, see if you can rewrite them so that they're fresh or just get rid of them. Same thing with stereotypes. If you find a stereotyped character, see if you can add—or subtract—components, to make them more unique.

Avoid Big Clumps of Description or Exposition.

Big clumps of description or exposition slow down a story, or halt it altogether. It helps to break up description with dialogue, action, and body language. This can help to keep the reader engaged in your story.

Look For Consistency And Inconsistencies.

If a character has blue eyes in one chapter, you want to make sure they don't have hazel eyes in another chapter. And sometimes it's easy to get ahead of yourself, since you, the author, know what's going to happen. Make sure that things happen in order in the story, in a way that makes sense. That's true for the big things—a character shouldn't know a car was stolen before it was actually stolen; the personal things—a character shouldn't have a reaction to something before it actually happens; and the small things—a character should see things in order, the way people look—such as the face first, then the shoulders, downward, unless there's a good reason not to (such as a sexist man noticing a woman's breasts instead of her face). It's also important that, if you have a story thread, that it should continue throughout the book, not suddenly be dropped.

Make Sure Your Characters Stand Out On Their Own, Are Believable.

Sometimes characters come across sounding too similar. There are a few ways to fix this. One is to figure out whether you actually need two characters that do the same thing. Sometimes you can meld them into one character, and it makes for a more interesting story. Other times, you may need to work on how to make each character unique—not only through their body language, mannerisms, ways of speaking and thinking, but also in what they do, how they act and react, and what they believe in. Give them their own hobbies, habits, and back histories.

Make Sure Readers Can Relate To Your Main Character.

For me, that means making my main character likable, and putting my character in a situation that creates reader compassion. I try to make sure that my main character has both flaws and good qualities, and that she is likable enough that I would want to read about—or meet—her.

These are some of the things that I look for when I edit. I hope they'll help you, too.

© Cheryl Rainfield, 2011

I wrote this article for NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) ; it will be appearing on their site in March.

I just got the cover for my hi-lo YA fantasy–Skinwalkers: Walking Both Sides–coming out this year from HIP Books! Walking Both Sides is about Claire, a teen girl who has both human and Skinwalker blood in her. Though she can't change into deer form, the way her mother and grandmother could, she is reviled by many villagers for her heritage. Claire wants to bring peace to both sides. But can she?

What do you think of the cover?

Walking Both Sides is a stand alone (you can read it all on its own; it's not part of a series). My fellow writers E. L. Thomas and D. M. Ouellet have both also written books about Skinwalkers that are coming out this year:

I think the cover art was done by Charlie Hnatiuk, who also illustrated all the covers for the Dragon Speaker series through HipBooks.

If you haven't read it yet, there's an interesting article in PW on people who buy children's and YA books–the how and the why–based on a recent study.

I loved reading that "books ranked number one over all other media for the youngest ages", and that teens, too, turned to books for fun at least 57% of the time (over other media). Yay!!

It was interesting to me, too, about how teens and book buyers found YA & kidlit books. I find a heck of a lot of books and authors myself, online–through blogger reviews, mentions on writer and reader listserves, through online book stores…. Though I also find books through browsing through physical bookstores, recommendations from friends, book discussions….

How do you find books to read?

I am so honored, excited, and thrilled! A reader created fan art for Scars! And it's beautifully done, too, depicting a scene early in the book. Just…wow. (beaming) That is such an incredible compliment for a writer to receive. As are all the wonderful, wonderful reader letters I receive! I love hearing that Scars has moved people.

Have you ever drawn fan art for a book? Ever sent a letter to a writer? If you have a favorite book, you might want to consider doing so. Authors love to hear from our readers!

PS If you click on the small image, you can see it much larger, in more detail.

It's National No Name-Calling Week from today (Jan 24) through to the 28th! It's important for everyone to think about bullying and how it can impact us, but this week also has a focus on lesbian/gay/queer victims or homophobic bullying, which I'm really glad about. . Teachers, you can download lesson plans, tips, and resources, or buy buttons.

And don't forget to read some great novels on bullying. One of my faves is Blubber by Judy Blume, and picture books Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems; You're Mean, Lily Jean! by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton; Superdog:The Heart of a Hero by Caralyn Buehner; and Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen. I'm sure there's some others I'm just not thinking of. What are your faves?

I will be talking about bibliotherapy, how books helped me cope with my abusive childhood, and my novel Scars at Willard Library in Battle Creek, MI on March 23, 2011. If you're in the area, I'd love to have you join me! You can check out the library poster here for more info.

Check out this video with legendary author Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire) and her writer son Christopher Rice (The Moonlit Earth), on writing and being an author. I found the interview inspiring, encouraging, and wise, so full of insight, and good advice–including not to listen to advice (something I also say!) but to go with what works for you as a writer. I identified with so much Anne Rice said, and got a lot out of the talk, including the answers to audience questions. I loved hearing that other people told Anne Rice that she wasn't a real writer because she didn't write every day–yet here she is, so successful!–because I've had the same experience, people telling me what a "real" writer is, and that I don't fit it. I also loved hearing about how much Anne thinks putting emotion into characters, getting the reader to feel, is important. It's so validating!

What do you think?

Anne Rice in conversation with Christopher Rice from Ted Habte-Gabr on Vimeo.

Scars is on the 2011 Rainbow List–"books with significant gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans-gendered/queer-questioning (glbtq) experience for young people from birth to age 18." (beaming) I'm delighted! There are some fantastic books here, including Catherine Ryan Hyde's Jumpstart the World. I can see that there's a heck of a lot of books I'm going to want to pick up and read!

Check out Our Authors, Our Advocates to see some PSA videos for libraries from some great authors! There's only a few up now–Sharon Draper; Brad Meltzer; Sara Paretsky; and Scott Turow, but I'll bet more will be joining them. I hope some YA and children's authors are included. Hurray for library love!

…I just watched all the videos. They're good (though two are almost the same, so feel scripted) but…the love of books was left out, at least for me…. Though maybe they're trying to make people aware of the many things libraries provide us, things some people wouldn't be aware of otherwise.

And libraries–we need them! I know I wouldn't have survived my childhood without books. I hope libraries all over the world keep getting the funding they need to stay open, and to keep bringing in more new books and resources.

And not only is it in the top ten–it is NUMBER ONE! (grinning and grinning)

SCARS is the #1 Book on the 2011 YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers!

I'm wanting to laugh and to cry. It's SO good to have good news. To know that Scars will reach more teens who need it. To know that librarians value Scars. That they can see it's reaching teens already. It's just…WOW.

I don't have a link yet…I keep reloading ALA page…but I had to tell you all any way! (beaming)