This is the final step in the 5-pass read through editing plan. If you haven’t read the previous posts in this series I encourage you to do that. This is about the final read through. You’ve fixed all the issues (hopefully) and this is the last pass. Let’s recap: You…
Tag: writing fiction
Editing In Layers Part 4: Weakness Plus Characterization
Non-writers think the majority of the work of writing a novel happens in the first draft. The first draft is where the heart of a novel is, but the writing craft happens during the editing. If you tend more towards pantsing than planning, the first three steps will help tighten…
How To Use Description To Enhance Voice, Setting & Scenes
Description can bring a scene, place, or character to life, but too many or too few details, too much or too little specificity can break the fictive dream for readers. A reader will do 90% of the work creating a mental image of a character, their setting and the fictional…
How To Shut Out Writer’s Block So You Can Fast Draft!
Fast Drafting is a concept I first heard about from author Candace Havens. I have never taken her workshops, but I gleaned the concept from a handful of blog posts and ran with it. Jami Gold summarizes this writing technique: “Fast drafting entails getting the framework of our stories down…
How Relationships Affects How We Write Subtext
Adding layers of meaning for readers behind the dialogue (between the lines) adds some rich texture, conflict, authenticity, and understanding to story. Subtext is the silent conversation that happens while another topic is being discussed. Subtext can use euphemisms and other diversionary tactics to have a private or intimate conversation…
6 Questions To Discover The Power Imbalance Affecting Subtext In Fiction
Power or authority applies a filter to subtext, it affects how we perceive or interpret what we believe is actually being said. What Is Subtext? Subtext is the non-verbal communication expressed through what Psychology Today called “a silent orchestra” which is a combination of facial expression, tone of voice, posture,…