Self-Editing for Fiction Writers Study--Chapter 1.1
Jun 28, 2021 21:28:27 GMT -6
Post by ScienceGirl on Jun 28, 2021 21:28:27 GMT -6
Self-Edting for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King is a popular book among self-published writers because it's tough to find the $500+ to pay for a professional edit. Its blurb:
As you go through this study, I highly recommend keeping a journal and making a page or two for each of the strategies. Then, when you have more time, go back and practice them. Also, note that this is professional advice written by experienced editors. It's written for those hoping to land an agent or get a submission accepted by a publishing company. They've even written a second edition to reflect changes in the craft and trends since the first publication.
Before diving in, we need to put some serious thought into why a writer needs to put serious effort into self-editing.
1) Self-editing is your "first line of literary defense".
You may have learned about the three lines of defense of risk management, or those of the immune system in school. The first line of defense is that surface-level barrier that doesn't provide the deepest protection, but does deter low-key attacks. With writing, it's that extra effort to have a clean submission that doesn't distract the reader with blatant errors.
Self-editing is the place where a writer can take care of all those mistakes that "should have been caught." There are so many online tools available these days that there's really no excuse to submit something with misspellings and glaring punctuation errors. It takes no professional skill--pretty much all writing software has a built-in grammar and spellchecker that does it for you.
2) Self-editing teaches you how to write things better the first time.
In my twenty years as an educator, I've read many, MANY terrible first drafts. You guys know how it is. Life happened, paper was due in about ten hours, and the student typed out enough randomness to fill whatever page requirement I set. We all do it. The problem is that writers who only put forth their first drafts never catch their bad habits and common mistakes, so they keep making them. Writers who regularly edit their work eventually develop enough skill to notice their bad habits cropping in as they write them. It saves a ton of time to be a better writer!
3) Self-editing lets you offer your best to your readers.
Ask yourself why you write in the first place. For the attention? For the acknowledgement? Because you have something important to say to the world? My personal belief is that our stories are gift offerings to our readers. It's like a present we prepare for them. When they open that first page, there's a sense of excitement, and when they turn the last page, disappointment that something so good has to end.
When you put your writing out there, do you rush things or take your time? Take pride in your work. Put extra thought into it. At the very least, reread it several times. If your writing is a gift offering, why wouldn't you want to put in a little extra effort to make it the best it can possibly be?
All that said, let's dive into chapter one headfirst, into one of those topics critiquers are always bringing up, Show and Tell, which is going to help us define whether or not we've actually written a scene.
The authors present the following excerpt for critique:
They point out that the grammar is nearly perfect, and it's clear there's a mystery. But how many of you would want to read more from
The excerpt that follows reveals the mystery without ever saying there is a mystery--through dialogue between several characters. It's this engaging dialogue that has turned the book into a beloved classic whose popularity has spanned nearly a century. Here's a tiny piece of it:
and...
Brown and King classify the first example as a secondhand report vs. an immediate scene. They talk about how narrative summary second-hand report is the writing style from a century ago, but no longer engages readers. You'll even notice in the excerpt above that Fitzgerald is able to get away with a lot of things that modern writers can't.
So, as they ask, "What, exactly, makes a scene a scene?"
Here's their list:
1) Scenes take place in real time. Events are seen as they happen rather than described after the fact.
2) Scenes usually have settings
3) Scenes contain physical action
4) Scenes contain dialogue
Do your scenes have all these elements? If not, a lot of the other editing we will discuss is pointless until you've revised and made the story more engaging.
The writers also point out some of the common issues caused by relying on narrative summary, namely readers not knowing which character is speaking, where they are in space and time, what season, what kind of weather, etc. This is usually what causes critiquers to make comments about not caring about the characters or being confused about where certain actions are taking place. If you're hearing those comments a lot, you're likely missing some of the things on that list.
That's not to say that exposition never belongs in a book. It's just not something a writer needs to rely on to carry their scenes from start to finish. Sometimes narrative summary is necessary for pacing or to give your readers a break from intense action. Just keep these paragraphs short so you don't lose reader interest.
In summary, take time to proofread and fix your spelling and grammar errors. Make sure you tell the story as it happens, not in a secondhand form that reads more like a news article or summary. Be sure you've included setting, physical action, and dialogue. Once you have all those things settled, you'll find it much easier to add rich details and bring your stories to life.
Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here, at last, is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.
In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.
In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.
Before diving in, we need to put some serious thought into why a writer needs to put serious effort into self-editing.
1) Self-editing is your "first line of literary defense".
You may have learned about the three lines of defense of risk management, or those of the immune system in school. The first line of defense is that surface-level barrier that doesn't provide the deepest protection, but does deter low-key attacks. With writing, it's that extra effort to have a clean submission that doesn't distract the reader with blatant errors.
Self-editing is the place where a writer can take care of all those mistakes that "should have been caught." There are so many online tools available these days that there's really no excuse to submit something with misspellings and glaring punctuation errors. It takes no professional skill--pretty much all writing software has a built-in grammar and spellchecker that does it for you.
2) Self-editing teaches you how to write things better the first time.
In my twenty years as an educator, I've read many, MANY terrible first drafts. You guys know how it is. Life happened, paper was due in about ten hours, and the student typed out enough randomness to fill whatever page requirement I set. We all do it. The problem is that writers who only put forth their first drafts never catch their bad habits and common mistakes, so they keep making them. Writers who regularly edit their work eventually develop enough skill to notice their bad habits cropping in as they write them. It saves a ton of time to be a better writer!
3) Self-editing lets you offer your best to your readers.
Ask yourself why you write in the first place. For the attention? For the acknowledgement? Because you have something important to say to the world? My personal belief is that our stories are gift offerings to our readers. It's like a present we prepare for them. When they open that first page, there's a sense of excitement, and when they turn the last page, disappointment that something so good has to end.
When you put your writing out there, do you rush things or take your time? Take pride in your work. Put extra thought into it. At the very least, reread it several times. If your writing is a gift offering, why wouldn't you want to put in a little extra effort to make it the best it can possibly be?
All that said, let's dive into chapter one headfirst, into one of those topics critiquers are always bringing up, Show and Tell, which is going to help us define whether or not we've actually written a scene.
The authors present the following excerpt for critique:
The conversation was barely begun before I discovered that our host was more than simply a stranger to most of his guests. He was an enigma, a mystery. And this was a crowd that doted on mysteries. In the space of no more than five minutes, I heard several different people put forth their theories--all equally probable or preposterous--as to who and what he was. Each theory was argued with the conviction that can only come from a lack of evidence, and it seemed that, for many of the guests, these arguments were the main reason to attend his parties.
They point out that the grammar is nearly perfect, and it's clear there's a mystery. But how many of you would want to read more from
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
if it contained what's essentially narrative summary and not story.The excerpt that follows reveals the mystery without ever saying there is a mystery--through dialogue between several characters. It's this engaging dialogue that has turned the book into a beloved classic whose popularity has spanned nearly a century. Here's a tiny piece of it:
"Gatsby. Somebody told me--"
The two girls and Jordan leaned together confidently.
"Somebody told me they thought he killed a man."
The two girls and Jordan leaned together confidently.
"Somebody told me they thought he killed a man."
"I don't think it's so much that," argued Lucille skeptically, "it's more that he was a German spy during the war."
One of the men nodded in confirmation.
"I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany," he assured us positively.
"Oh, no," said the first girl, "it couldn't be that, because he was in the American army during the war."
***
"You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody's looking at him. I'll bet he killed a man."
One of the men nodded in confirmation.
"I heard that from a man who knew all about him, grew up with him in Germany," he assured us positively.
"Oh, no," said the first girl, "it couldn't be that, because he was in the American army during the war."
***
"You look at him sometimes when he thinks nobody's looking at him. I'll bet he killed a man."
Brown and King classify the first example as a secondhand report vs. an immediate scene. They talk about how narrative summary second-hand report is the writing style from a century ago, but no longer engages readers. You'll even notice in the excerpt above that Fitzgerald is able to get away with a lot of things that modern writers can't.
So, as they ask, "What, exactly, makes a scene a scene?"
Here's their list:
1) Scenes take place in real time. Events are seen as they happen rather than described after the fact.
2) Scenes usually have settings
3) Scenes contain physical action
4) Scenes contain dialogue
Do your scenes have all these elements? If not, a lot of the other editing we will discuss is pointless until you've revised and made the story more engaging.
The writers also point out some of the common issues caused by relying on narrative summary, namely readers not knowing which character is speaking, where they are in space and time, what season, what kind of weather, etc. This is usually what causes critiquers to make comments about not caring about the characters or being confused about where certain actions are taking place. If you're hearing those comments a lot, you're likely missing some of the things on that list.
That's not to say that exposition never belongs in a book. It's just not something a writer needs to rely on to carry their scenes from start to finish. Sometimes narrative summary is necessary for pacing or to give your readers a break from intense action. Just keep these paragraphs short so you don't lose reader interest.
In summary, take time to proofread and fix your spelling and grammar errors. Make sure you tell the story as it happens, not in a secondhand form that reads more like a news article or summary. Be sure you've included setting, physical action, and dialogue. Once you have all those things settled, you'll find it much easier to add rich details and bring your stories to life.
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