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| image (rotated) courtesy pixabay |
"Here is a trick that painters know. They will often turn a picture upside-down to see if it works. Upside-down the painter cannot count on reading the actual figures, only the composition. Well, we can't read a story or poem upside down, but we can do the equivalent..." --Jane Yolen
My favorite writing tip of the month comes from the website of the amazing author and poet, Jane Yolen, on the subject of revisions. The above quote continues:
"...Take a story or chapter and break it up into breath spaces (emphasis mine, I like this concept) as if it's a poem. Write it down that way. You will very quickly see where you have overwritten a piece, where your repetition is not helpful but just a mistake. When you see a cliche on a single line, it leaps out, grabs you by the throat, threatening to silence you. This is also true with poetry. Break the lines down into the smallest groupings possible. Suddenly the errors are appallingly clear. They wink at you like neon lights."
I'm tucking this piece of advice into my notebook of revision tips. How about you, any tips you turn to in order to see your manuscript through fresh eyes?
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Wow. Good advice. It is so hard to looks at what you write and improve.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Ann--that's why this tip appealed to me, it certainly comes from a "different angle"! Thanks for stopping in :-)
DeleteMy natural tendency is to write very long sentences, up to 40 words! So I look at each sentence and break down the compounds to vary sentence length. Also, though I am writing in third person, in my head I transfer it to first, which reveals things, too. I can make it feel more immediate, although remaining in third person.
ReplyDeleteCathy, another good writing tip! I like the twist here, thinking in first person to get insights for third. And what a helpful exercise this would be to get a stalled story moving again--I'm going to have to try it :-) Thanks so much for the idea...
ReplyDeleteI love Jane Yolen. She writes across genres and formats and for so many age groups--she's the expert, and you have to take her seriously. When I revise, I always read the manuscript aloud. It slows me down. My eyes can't skip over the mistakes as easily.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, that upside-down painting drives me crazy! :-)
Hi, Peggy--thanks so much for your tip about reading our work aloud. It is something I've always done, too. Not only to find mistakes, but to hear the story and not just read it. I notice where things are bogging down, something clunks, or something just doesn't make sense :-) Glad you sent the reminder. And that upside-down picture--it does make you pause, doesn't it?? Good to hear from you. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods :-)
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