My Newsletter ~ March 28, 2024

Last month, in the Writing section of the newsletter, I talked about story structure, and how I had created a document in Scrivener to help me put the manuscript that needed a major overhaul into the Save the Cat! story structure. If you missed that process, you can click on these paw prints  🐾 🐾   🐾 🐾  to go to February’s newsletter. We’ll wait for you to come back.

I’m ready for the next step, and it is an editing step, rather than a writing step. I’ve restructured my manuscript, and am in the process of transferring it from Scrivener into a Word document (a process that takes a little finessing in terms of formatting). It’s not yet ready for my regular critique partner’s eyes, so I will become my own critique partner – my own editor.

To do this, I open Track Changes, and start reading through the manuscript as if it were someone else’s manuscript. Nothing is precious, everything is up for critique. I make comments as I go along.

I watch for things such as

• Plot holes and general story structure
• Scene structure – is there some sort of conflict in every scene? What might be added?
• Are there some passages of pretty writing that don’t really add to the story? Note them. They may end up being deleted and saved in a deleted from X-manuscript document (you never know when they might come in handy.)
• Is there too much backstory? Or not enough? Does the reader get dropped into the middle of a scene at the beginning and not really know where they are, who the main character is, and why they should care about that character?
• Are there other places where the reader will think “where are we? How did we get here?” Be sure to ground the reader in what’s going on. It doesn’t take many words, but it can make a great difference to the reader’s interest versus confusion level.
• Do all the characters pull their weight? Are there some who could be combined? Are there some who are fighting with the main character for top billing? Is the current main character the right main character?
• Is there a good balance of dialogue, description and action? Are action beats needed to break up long passages of dialogue? Does the dialogue ring true for the age and personality of the speaker?
• On the other hand, are there long pages of description that could use some breaks for dialogue or action?
• Watch for continuity – if Jane has blue eyes on page 1, but brown eyes on page 104, choose one and make sure the manuscript is consistent.
• Does the character have agency – does the character take responsibility for their actions, and act on their own, rather than having someone take over and run the show, or swoop in to save the day? That’s only allowed in superhero movies. The main character having agency is especially important in kid’s books, because kids often don’t have as much agency as they’d like in real life, so reading about it fills a gap, and helps them see how a kid can still achieve a lot while still being subject to the strictures of childhood, or tweenhood or teenagerhood. I’m not saying they should suddenly have superpowers, but they should stand on their own two feet and make the plot elements move because of their actions (for better or worse.)
• Does the main character have an initial goal, want, or need that they will pursue throughout the story?
• Is there an antagonist who will be strong enough to be a real challenge for the main character as the plot builds?
• Are there sufficient obstacles in the main character’s path – obstacles that will hinder them from achieving their goal and cause them to grow inwardly as they face and overcome that obstacle? Do the obstacles increase in intensity?
• Does the writing dig beneath the surface of the meaning of things, the emotion of things, the possibilities of things?
• Is there an “all is lost” moment, when the main character thinks they can’t possibly succeed? Does the writing make the reader feel the depths of that along with the character?
• Is there a final struggle of some sort between the main character and the antagonist or antagonistic forces?
• Is there a satisfying ending? Is the writing strong?
• By the end of the story, has the main character learned and grown inwardly?
• Also, do some copy editing along the way – note spelling errors and grammar errors. Don’t get too intensely into this, because at this point the manuscript could change greatly, but note things. If there’s a word choice you’re unsure of, flag it so you remember to give it careful consideration.
• Relax and know that each comment you give yourself, each action or bit of dialogue you ponder is making you a stronger writer while it makes your manuscript stronger.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will get you started in critiquing your manuscript as your own critique partner. And when you present your manuscript to your regular critique partner, you’ll have a much more solid manuscript for them to bring their insights to.

And remember, I’m always available to help you along the way with a picture book, chapter book, middle grade, or YA manuscript. Just check out the info about my editing at this link,  🐾 🐾   🐾 🐾  and see if we can work together.