Creative Writing Revision TipsImagery and Dialogue are Important When Rewriting Creative WorksAvailable at: http://suite101.com/article/creative-writing-revision-tips-a214811
Does creative writing revision seem more difficult than the first draft?
These tips will help writers tackle these projects with more
confidence.
Looking back over one's work with a plan to revise (especially if it
is a larger work, like a novel) can sometimes be intimidating. The idea
of revision can often make even the most eager creative writer decide
she's done writing. Writers know that revision is important, though, so
what are ways to make the task a little easier to manage and less
intimidating? Here are some techniques sure to make the process a little
simpler.
Scrutinize the ImageryOnce a writer decides to revise his manuscript one task at a time, he
will probably first look at things like sentence structure and the use
of modifiers within his work. Another important thing for a writer to
examine carefully is the imagery used.
When something is written with little imagery, clichéd images, or
poorly imagined descriptions, the reader doesn't feel transported to the
fictional place and has a hard time "getting into" the story. One of
the most important tasks for a creative writer, then, is making sure his
imagery does what it's supposed to - that is, allow the reader to "see"
in her head the pictures described on the page.
It's not an easy task, but it is vital. Some writers find writing
imagery to be quite natural. Others look through their first drafts and
realize that much work needs to be done. While it's not easy, it can be
an interesting and stimulating challenge.
Basically, the writer should go through his manuscript and read one
line, even one phrase, at a time, trying to picture the words in his
head. He should ask if images form in his mind's eye easily. If not,
these are words, phrases, and sentences that could stand revision.
The section that follows could use stronger imagery:
- Twilight descended upon them. The car left the little town, and
they were driving down the highway. Max winked at Teri, even though he
was certain that she didn't know what he was happy about.
While
words like twilight, car, town, and highway evoke images, they aren't
necessarily strong. In other words, what one person thinks of when she
sees a car in her mind might be very different from what someone else
sees. Making some of these words more specific will make the imagery
stronger, as will changing other words.
- Darkness descended rapidly upon the red sports car that sped
down the two-lane highway. The one-light town quickly became a dot in
the rearview mirror. Max smiled at Teri, glad to be rid of that little
burg, even though Teri would never understand.
The paragraph
still isn't necessarily perfect. While it depends on the scene and
emotions the writer wants to evoke, readers will still form a much more
distinct picture in their heads when they read the second version.
Poorly Written Dialogue Can Destroy a Decent ManuscriptHow many stories out there are picture perfect but the dialogue reads
like a clunky car? For a reader to be transported to the writer's
world, the dialogue must feel realistic. That is not to say that the
dialogue
is realistic; rather, it must feel that way. There are
many things a writer can do to make her dialogue feel more real. The
first thing is to be careful with the way she introduces it. Most
readers skip the introductions anyway, so a simple "he said, she said"
approach is usually best. If the dialogue occurs between two people,
it's often understood which character is saying what, so the dialogue
tags can sometimes be removed altogether.
That said, what would be considered realistic dialogue? It's not
always easy to tell. Sometimes it's best if the writer reads his
dialogue aloud. If it sounds or feels unrealistic, he should either
rewrite it or get rid of it.
This bit of dialogue probably feels forced and trite:
- He queried, "What can you remember? The police said you have
lost your memory. Perhaps we should take you to a doctor right away."
The writer might choose to rewrite it this way:
- "So what all can you remember? The police said you’ve lost your memory. What about a doctor?"
Again,
still not perfect but much better. Some simple changes are the loss of
the dialogue tag. The reader likely knows who is doing the speaking
already. Further, the simple addition of "so" and "all" are the kinds of
small words speakers often add in their day-to-day speech (not to
mention "ums" and "ers" which are not usually written in fictional
dialogue). Also, the rewritten dialogue uses a contraction - "you've"
instead of "you have." Most people, when not speaking in a formal
situation, tend to use contractions. This kind of dialogue feels more
natural. Finally, the last sentence in the first version again feels
highly formal. Simply shortening the sentence to a fragment makes it
feel more natural. How many people in casual conversation always speak
in complete sentences? If a fragment feels more natural, more
spoken, then it is likely a good revision.
Keep RevisingOnce through a first draft is not enough. A writer must keep revising
and polishing her manuscript, and there are many things she should look
for as she does so. It might sometimes feel painful to the writer to
begin the revision process, but any writer who's serious about getting
published knows that it's best to revise now so that a publisher accepts
her work later. Will performing these few tasks change a manuscript
from average to perfect? No, but it's a start. And editing for errors
(typos and grammatical mistakes, for example) is of the utmost
importance. But writers must begin the revision process somewhere, and
once they have begun, continuing isn't quite so difficult.
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