Saturday, March 28, 2015

Editing discoveries

As part of this editing process, I opened a spreadsheet and designed it to keep track of the chapters, the length, and the characters who are in that chapter.

I discovered some very long chapters, so I broke them down, recalling an agent had once commented that short chapters were more reader friendly than long ones.

I also discovered that by listing the characters as active, small active, passive [there but not speaking], I can see if one of them needs a bigger role, a smaller role, or was not necessary at all in that chapter.

More discoveries to come, I'm sure.

– Cat

Wednesday, March 04, 2015

As I was editing...

Chapter 23 began with a description of the setting. You know the type – the sun sparkled off the water, houses built of grey stone, etc. The main character did not appear until the third paragraph, and she did nothing but marvel at the view until in the fifth paragraph another character appeared. 

It was "lights, camera, action" in a slow sequence. No. I need action first, get the characters on the stage, then work in the setting and light as seen through their cameras. 

The setting will not be the way the author envisions it, not the way a picture shows it, but how the characters  see it. And in this scene, one is entranced, the other bored.

Another thing to watch for as I do my final edit!

– Cat