Red Writing Hood - Rewrite

This week's hosts, Nancy and Erin have tasked you with revisiting an old post and reworking it.

They invited you to...

Go back in the archives and pick a fiction or nonfiction piece. Perhaps something you posted on your blog, or an old Red Dress Club prompt? Find something that you're proud of, but something you haven't read for awhile. Do a complete overhaul.

Or, kill your babies, as Nancy put it.

Okay, let's see what you came up with.

Please only link up if you have done the prompt.

Twitter Party Recap

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us Wednesday night for our twitter party.

For those who missed it, here is a brief recap of some of the main conversation points:

1. Length. This week's prompt asks us to stay under 1,000 words. Some of us have a tough time with this; they tend to ramble. Others have a tough time writing long enough. It's difficult to figure out what to keep and what to add.

2. Which leads us to editing. One of our lovely hosts, Katie, pointed out that editing is cleaning up sentence structure and grammar, and revising is fixing content. Many of us have trouble "murdering our darlings" but know it has to be done. Good editing makes a story more, not less. Reading aloud is something that can be helpful.

3. Critique. This continues to be a touchy subject. Writers want to know how to get better, but the delivery is important. Pieces that are intensely personal need to be treated with more care. I am not entirely sure everyone who links up with us really wants constructive feedback. If you receive it, don't take it personally. If you give it, don't make it personal. Remember we are all learning and growing and writers are notoriously insecure (yes, I'm talking about me!).

4. Writing fiction. It can be daunting, to say the least. You are exposing a story you created solely from your imagination. Then again, it can also be incredibly freeing, as you are ONLY limited by your imagination. Another issue is placement. Fiction does not fit in with everyone's blog. I personally reserve Friday for the writing prompt and usually do fiction. And even though it's not the "theme" of my blog, it IS my blog and I'll post fiction if I want to! Fiction if I want to!

Ahem. Sorry. Anyway, Katie (and others) solved the problem by creating a separate blog to feature their writing. Obviously that's not feasible for all of us.

We would love to get your thoughts on these topics. Feel free to leave them in the comments! And hopefully next time you'll join us!

NaNoBlahBlah

So I wrote my 50,000+ words for NaNoWriMo. Some of you did, too. Or maybe you already had your first draft of your manuscript done.

Which leaves you with one question.

Now what?

Because NaNoWriMo is just about getting words out, and I have found, upon re-reading, some, um, problems with my story.

I have characters who completely change personality. I have a main character who becomes an alcoholic - even though I didn't plan that in the beginning, so it comes out of the blue, like she just decided one day to toss back a glass or 12 of wine.

I have timelines that don't work. I have characters who play an interesting role and then disappear. I have two main characters who need to intersect, to teach each other something, and yet...they don't.

In other words, I have a hot sloppy mess.

So the other day I actually had a couple hours of quiet alone time. Shocking, I know! And I totally kicked it old school: I got a notebook and a pen and I started trying to figure stuff out.

I did character sketches. Time lines. Notes about relationships. And even a "to do" list.

This is the beginning of the real work.

I don't like it as much as the writing part Writing is work's very sexy cousin.

Also, I am not an organized person. So the task of putting all these words in some semblance of order that actually makes sense is daunting.

Here are a few things that can help, whether you're digging out from under the NaNoWriMo mess or if you're looking to edit your rough draft manuscript.

1. Write a sentence about what your story is about. Then make it into a paragraph or two, like a cover blurb. If you can't do this, than you don't have a clear idea and your writing will probably be a bit muddled.

2. Make an outline. Some people like to make this formal, with topics and subheads. Others make it more organic. But it can give you an idea of where your story is going and help you stay on course.

3. Character sketches. The better you know your characters, the better you can use them for your purposes. What are their motivations? What are their goals? Their conflicts? Their epiphany? Also, I find it's helpful if their eyes don't change colors in the middle of the book, or if they actually age rather than get younger.

4. Create a storyboard. Use index cards or post-it notes and write key points on each. Then you can lay it out in order and see your story - literally - in front of you. This can help you see where it's going and what parts seem slim or too much.

5. Let someone else read it. I know, you probably don't want anyone gazing at your imperfections, but it's helpful to get opinions on what works and what doesn't. Also, we tend to fall in love with certain things and will try our best to make them work. When the reality is they just don't. Your reader(s) can help you flesh this out.

I found this excellent post by Tamera Lynn Kraft which has great links with tons of information on the topic.

We'd also love to hear any tips you might have. Just leave 'em in the comments section.