Ciara Cassidy: editing

Sunday, 24 February 2013

Pace and Structure

I belong to two online writing groups. On each you upload chapters of your manuscript to seek reviews from other writers. I've been getting some very encouraging reviews for my current work in progress, The Glass House. Although the name is in a state of flux as I search for a new title. These are snippets from recent comments:

After a crappy day at work I was very happy to read 'The Glass House'. I really enjoyed this. In part because Caitlin is a very engaging character...I hope to see her use her undoubted yet hidden...ish charms on the local menfolk.

I enjoyed the family relationships and excellent Irish banter...and despite myself also rather liked Niamh and her nouveau riche ways!

I also liked how the story was about to have a large change of direction with the introduction of the presumably rather challenging Ellie....

All in all a thoroughly good read....I would read more.

What a fascinating look at rural life in Western Ireland with excellent description...I also rated your Dialogue, Voice and Language 5. (5 is full marks)

This is very good. I can't think of very much to criticise. It is well written and the characters are all well drawn. The dialogue is good and natural sounding.

This is a well-written story with well-drawn, believable main characters and pretty good dialogue.

The chief complaint has been the pace. There isn't enough happening to get the reader sitting on the edge of their seat. So pace is my new focus. The opening chapters are set in rural Co. Tyrone and reflect the slower pace of life away from the city. The intended hook in the opening is the family dynamic and questions over Tom's financial dealings.

To help me tackle this I tried a new method of editing. I mentioned in previous posts that I've been reading Write A Blockbuster by Helen Corner and Lee Weatherly. The authors recommend using memo cards to plot out your story. This WIP is complete so I'm beyond that stage. Instead I used individual memo cards to map out the characters, scene, action and points of tension in each chapter.

That gave me a picture of how each chapter contributed to the pace and plot.

As a result I've already cut 4000 words, which included two chapters, and restructured the opening. Let's hope that improves the reviews further. With some hard work and a bit of luck maybe this one might get closer to publication.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Spring

Spring seems to be creeping into Northern Ireland. The temperature's nudging double figures, the floods are receding from the fields, I've spotted buds on trees and even some flowering daffodils. Our rabbits have been allowed back into their runs on the lawn, the dogs are bouncier than ever and the children cleaned their trampoline and spent an afternoon testing all sorts of shapes and jumps on it.

Perhaps that's what inspired me to try a new angle to the editing process this week. I've been reading 'How To Write A Blockbuster,' - lots of scribbles and post-it notes now adorn the book. I found their ideas about passive voice clear and concise and decided to check my MS for how many times was and were appeared. So, what was the most effective way to do that? The trusted Find and Replace feature. There I was, feeling pleased with myself as I worked my way through the MS, finding each was, checking how appropriate, passive or overused the word was. Tad ironic ending to that last sentence. I'd reached the halfway point and come across something else I wanted to change. I still don't know how I did it but here comes the cautionary tale to the spring clean. I made my changes and saved them (always very careful to keep saving as I work). Then I pulled up the Find again, typed in was and waited for the answer. Not a single one to be found. I ran it again. Surely I couldn't have been that good and not used was again for the rest of the MS? Right - I wasn't that good. I'd managed to delete every was in the entire 274 pages, including all occasions when those three letters formed part of another word.

It's been an exercise in finding every double blank space and every misspelt word in the MS but I've finally done it; I've replaced each missing was and am ready to continue where I left off. I hope.

The change in weather we've seen this week has been a welcome distraction from my mistake. Caitlin would be proud of me, digging over and starting to prepare the greenhouse for the new growing season. The children are off school so we had a day out and I have plenty of pictures to share the beauty of the Mournes on a Spring day.