Welcome to part three of the "Editing Your Manuscript" series!
In Part One, we discussed specificity, voice consistency, set ups and pay offs, and filter words!
In Part Two, we discussed sensory details, pacing, passive voice, and verb strengthening.
Sentence Variety
In a rough draft it's more important to focus on what you’re writing rather than how you’re writing it. Once we finish revisions, it's time to look at the words on the page and see how they can best serve the story we are trying to tell. One of the ways we can keep our prose engaging and effective is by using sentence structure and length to our advantage. If we are accidentally falling into a pattern by using the same sentence style and length over and over again, we can lull the reader into inattention. There are times, however, when we can use the patterns to our advantage.
Paragraph Structure
It can be helpful to recognize the way information is grouped together in paragraphs. Usually, we want related information grouped together.
Unedited: Sweat soaked the thick cotton of her fancy blouse. Plucking it from her closet this morning seemed like a dream now, after hours uselessly wandering the cracked desert of Corsair. The hot sun beat down on their backs. Why had she decided to wear this anyway?
Edited: The hot sun beat down on their backs. Sweat soaked the thick cotton of her fancy blouse. Why had she decided to wear this anyway? Plucking it from her closet this morning seemed like a dream now, after hours uselessly wandering the cracked desert of Corsair.
Eliminate low-impact material
Consider removing information or scenes that aren’t adding anything to the characters, the world, or advancing the plot. (Having three different scenes for a character getting dressed for the day might be appropriate for a historical romance, but *may* be less relevant for a contemporary novel.)
Clarity–Beta Readers
Beta readers read a book after it's been edited a bit but isn’t quite ready for publishing. As the author, we tend to fill in the gaps for our story. After all, it lives in our head. A reader only gets the words on the page. Depending on your beta reader, they may catch a plot hole, point out what feels out-of-character, or gently help you find the spots where information is otherwise missing or delivered in a confusing way.
In other news
Querying
I got my first rejection! And within 24 hours of sending! Haha it was definitely a form letter, but I feel like it’s a step forward—a rite of passage. I’ve queried twelve other agents so far and I’m sending more as I find them! There’s a few that require a synopsis, which I have yet to write. That’s probably my next goal!
Remember, there are no absolutes in writing. In the end, the story itself is what matters most. Mossgrovewrites hopes to scrutinize traditional craft wisdom and ponder its pros and cons, alongside offering one writer’s opinions and the experiences that shaped them.
Happy writing!
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