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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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