February 17, 2011

revising a manuscript – summation

Stow the manuscript away, the longer the better. Revisions are best exercised under an objective eye.

Don’t begin spell-checking and proofreading. Look at the big picture of the novel. Feel out the key points and evaluate the novel as a whole. Outline a new, better draft, working with plot points and character arcs. Write the story again. Rinse. Repeat as needed.

Elaborate on the outline, working with each chapter and its scenes. Consider the layers of the story. Perfect the execution of the story.

Analyze each individual sentence. Proofread. Spell-check.

[each heading is linked to the longer articles]

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