I'm surprised about how much rearranging happens during the revision process. I thought events were pretty much in the right order, but once I started cutting and condensing, the structure became a lot clearer in my mind. Sections needed to be moved. Some needed total rewrites to make new transitions.
But....I managed to cut about 5,000 words! Even though I got rid of some writing I was proud of, the novel is much tighter and more coherent for having done it.
My next step is to think about details - details that show my characters personalities and details that show the setting. For settings, I've made a scene by scene list of the settings in my novel. This gives me an overall picture of whether there is variety in my settings (because some of the scenes I cut had interesting ones). My plan is to brainstorm sensory details that go with each setting. Then I'll look for places in the novel where I can bring in a few additional details to enhance the setting.
I think listing things out like this is a great way to keep track and get you thinking in layers, both to include those important sensory details and to create characterization!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I know it sounds weird, but I kind of love cutting things out of manuscripts. It's so liberating, even though it can be hard to see what needs to go. Good luck with the sensory details!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing a lot of cutting lately, and like Anna says, it feels liberating.
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