Friday, April 18, 2014

P is for Plot read-through



I love macro editing. To get me into the zone I always remind myself that professionals rewrite and I want to be a professional, so red pen to the ready here is my ...

...Plot read-through checklist!

Avoid starting on page one and tinkering with a sentence. You are looking at plot!

Mark the pages were you feel the story is dragging with a red felt tip mark in the corner.
If you find any confusing paragraphs, draw a line in the margin - don't start rewriting yet.
Make a mark in the margin if you find any places where more information need to be added.
Put question marks next to anything you are unsure or unhappy with.

Do not indulge yourself in self pity at this point, so it needs some work, so what!

Are there any places that surprised you or made you happy - do you need to expand these parts?
What are your characters doing in the story? If it's a scene which is dragging, are you focusing on the real issues the characters are dealing with? Are you looking at their passions and desires?
Is the plot line correct and believeable? Would an alternate plot be better?

What about structure?

Back to basics is there a beginning, middle and end?
Did you start with a disturbance to your major characters life?
What do you think about the pace of your work?
Is there enough motivation behind the characters actions?
Is your timeline correct? Does it need to be rearranged?
Are the big scenes ... big enough?

You will be left with a manuscript with writing all over it. But if you deal with the larger problems first before you focus on a spell check and grammar, your final piece will be so much better after having a good look at the foundations.

29 comments:

  1. And everything needs solid foundations.

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  2. Yay, finally I found your blog - I kept being directed to your circle. Thanks for this post. I think I will learn a lot from you!

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  3. I'm glad you visited me so I would discover you. Now I'm following you. That's the reward for this masochistic April activity! I'm published as a tech writer and development editor, but I always think I'd like to do some personal and/or fictional writing. I think reading your blog may be helpful. Thanks!
    Mary at Variety, the Spice of Life

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  4. Excellent post. What you've described is what I now call my developmental edit and your words ring true: before you fix the grammar, get the story straight. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll be back :)

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  5. Many thanks for coming to my blog, Charlotte. I find your posts to be very helpful. Looking forward to reading more.

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  6. Foundation is key. Sometimes I get side tracked by micro editing but it's a good reminder to look a bit further back as well.

    LittleCely's Blog

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  7. This is a wonderful post. Thanks for the reminders. The more we see them, the more we'll recall them!

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  8. Hi, thanks for your visit. I love your blog, I am going to have to read it all the way through in preparation for this year's NaNoWriMo
    martine@silencingthebell

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  9. Oh the temptation to wallow in self-pity - can be hard to resist sometimes ;P

    I use review comments in MS Word rather than a red pen, but the intention's the same, thanks for another great checklist.
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
    Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic

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  10. Great list of things to look out for. I always do macro edits first and foremost (unfortunately, sometimes even before I finish the first draft). I don't love them. Ha ha. But they're a must. :)

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  11. A fantastic list of what to look for, well done.

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  12. Great list! Stopping by from A to Z.

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  13. A good checklist. I always do this before I start my new drafts. It's boring, but very necessary.

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  14. Great advice! Focusing on big picture story problems is an important first step in the revision process. I just wish fixing these problems was as straightforward as fixing the grammar! :)

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  15. Such good advice. Thanks for sharing! Also thanks for stopping by my blog:)

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  16. Good tips. I've haven't gotten far enough with any of my writing to use this advice.

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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  17. This s great advice! I've bookmarked your site so I can come back for reminders when I need to! I'm so happy you stopped by my blog because I may not have crossed paths with you otherwise!

    Happy A to Zed'ing!

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  18. I'm definitely planning to revisit this site. Great information. I'm a micro editor so these are good tips for improving my skills.
    Marlene at On Writing and Riding

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  19. Waving from the A to Z. I like the way you break down the points to keep an eye on. I do lots of revisions, each with different targets.

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  20. Good tips for revision. I especially like the thought that all professionals rewrite. I knew that, but a reminder doesn't hurt.

    Stopping by from the a-z challenge.

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  21. This is very helpful, Charlotte.

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  22. This is a great helpful post. I am so bad to start things and never finish b/c I don't know where I'm going with them. I loved this. Very useful info.

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  23. Great tips! There are so many different styles of editing. I once took a workshop where the instructor said she read through several times looking specifically for plot points like romance, mystery, etc. in addition to read-throughs for spelling/grammatical issues, which I thought was interesting. Thanks for the insights.

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  24. Very practical and useful advice!!! I have been slogging through a read through on a rough draft, and this will help immensely.

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  25. Those are good tips! I usually just read and re-read until I think it looks perfect, but marking it is probably better. Thanks for sharing! : )

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  26. Wonderful advice- in this post and others. I have had several friends ask my if writing a manuscript is in my future and I gawk at the massiveness of the task. Especially the editing. But you make it sound so easy. Sort of...
    I look forward to having more time to further explore your blog and thanks for hopping by my blog today.

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  27. I often do that with my novellas. I'll print out pages as I write them and when I have free time, write copious notes until by the time I'm finished with the story, I have my first draft completely edited and ready for the 2nd draft

    A-Z Challenge at Father Nature's Corner

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  28. Thanks for this post Charlotte, very helpful and perfect timing too for me.:)

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