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writercisesOver here
http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/09/23/stop-the-revisions/
Sarah Hoyt talks about doing revisions, and especially the danger of over-revising. You can polish the story right out while you're fixing typos, grammar, and all that for the umpteenth time! Not that this means you shouldn't do some revision, or that some stories don't need time to age (or for your skill to reach the level to tell them), but... be careful about falling into the eternal revision cycle, where there's just one more thing to fix... and one more... and one more...
She recommends thinking about different approaches. Polish -- every story needs a basic polish. Revise -- make sure the story starts in the right place, ends in the right place, and doesn't go wandering off into a rabbit hole along the way. Recast -- take the idea, the great character, and toss the rest.
So, the rules of revision, ala Sarah A. Hoyt:
1. Polishing? Three passes: sense, wording, typos. Stop! Too much polish wipes out flavor.
2. Try something different. Don't get hung up on polishing, revising, and recasting the same old just one more time.
3. Forget the kitchen sink. Sure, you could tuck another cool idea into this story, but think about the reader. Keep the flow going, hit those beats, and avoid adding another kitchen sink.
4. Watch out for your darlings. Sometimes other people don't really want to read about your favorite cookies.
5. Don't cut the individual stuff. Personal, witty, revealing yourself... leave it in. Your story needs a touch of your blood in it.
6. If the story isn't working and you don't know why, put it in a drawer (okay, a virtual folder). Give it time. You may yank it out later and know exactly how to make it sing. But don't just keep bashing your head against the wall.
7. Do recast stories! Grab the character/idea/situation/bit that you love, toss the rest, and start fresh. You don't have to use that dead story line, those twisted words. (Remember the sunk cost bias -- we all hate to waste the time we've already spent, but sometimes you just have to change lines)
8. Write. Writing teaches you how to write, and how to revise. Keep going!
Exercise? Take a story that maybe you've had sitting around, and think about what it needs. Should you polish, revise, or recast? Try doing all three! What happens if you polish the little darling? What about cutting, reshaping, or even adding some stuff? Finally, if you were going to rewrite it, what would you save, and how could you make a whole new story out of it?
Or should you tuck it back in the drawer and let it ripen a bit more?
'saright? Get writing!
http://madgeniusclub.com/2015/09/23/stop-the-revisions/
Sarah Hoyt talks about doing revisions, and especially the danger of over-revising. You can polish the story right out while you're fixing typos, grammar, and all that for the umpteenth time! Not that this means you shouldn't do some revision, or that some stories don't need time to age (or for your skill to reach the level to tell them), but... be careful about falling into the eternal revision cycle, where there's just one more thing to fix... and one more... and one more...
She recommends thinking about different approaches. Polish -- every story needs a basic polish. Revise -- make sure the story starts in the right place, ends in the right place, and doesn't go wandering off into a rabbit hole along the way. Recast -- take the idea, the great character, and toss the rest.
So, the rules of revision, ala Sarah A. Hoyt:
1. Polishing? Three passes: sense, wording, typos. Stop! Too much polish wipes out flavor.
2. Try something different. Don't get hung up on polishing, revising, and recasting the same old just one more time.
3. Forget the kitchen sink. Sure, you could tuck another cool idea into this story, but think about the reader. Keep the flow going, hit those beats, and avoid adding another kitchen sink.
4. Watch out for your darlings. Sometimes other people don't really want to read about your favorite cookies.
5. Don't cut the individual stuff. Personal, witty, revealing yourself... leave it in. Your story needs a touch of your blood in it.
6. If the story isn't working and you don't know why, put it in a drawer (okay, a virtual folder). Give it time. You may yank it out later and know exactly how to make it sing. But don't just keep bashing your head against the wall.
7. Do recast stories! Grab the character/idea/situation/bit that you love, toss the rest, and start fresh. You don't have to use that dead story line, those twisted words. (Remember the sunk cost bias -- we all hate to waste the time we've already spent, but sometimes you just have to change lines)
8. Write. Writing teaches you how to write, and how to revise. Keep going!
Exercise? Take a story that maybe you've had sitting around, and think about what it needs. Should you polish, revise, or recast? Try doing all three! What happens if you polish the little darling? What about cutting, reshaping, or even adding some stuff? Finally, if you were going to rewrite it, what would you save, and how could you make a whole new story out of it?
Or should you tuck it back in the drawer and let it ripen a bit more?
'saright? Get writing!
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