![]() ![]() Distance from the story is key until line edits. It’s better to make big fixes before a second read, because not only is it a waste of time to do consistency and line edits when whole scenes might be cut, rewritten, or written new, but you’ll never get a second read again either. They’re going to need to make fixes–if they choose to. ![]() Note the things that stuck with you and why. Note what you thought back on, what resonated with you.ĭo you remember the scenes that made you laugh or cry? Add anything that worked and didn’t work for you. Note the big picture issues.Īfter a couple days, come back to the notes you’ve written. Without trying, over the next couple of days, what stands out? What do you remember? Who do you remember and why? Things will come to your mind if you give it some quiet time while doing dishes or folding laundry or going on a bicycle ride–whatever it is you do. Just like we need time to digest edits for our own writing, we need time to think about what we read. Think about the novel for a day or two.Īfter cleaning up your notes about all the issues you saw, give it some time. Does the plot, the subplots (including the romance), the character arcs, the world building work? You’ll never get another first read, so in this first round, you really need to be looking at big picture mechanics of the novel. There’s a lot more here I could mention, but you probably know enough basics as a reader to get what I’m saying. When you put it down, do you want to pick it back up? Read it and see where you begin to skim, where you’re feeling a little antsy, bored, etc.Īre you feeling positive or negative tension on every page?ĭo the subplots support the main plot, playing off the theme of the novel? Make comments on a separate sheet of paper or file, note the page number if needed. Put it on your phone or kindle or laptop at 1.5 spacing with narrower margins and read it all the way through. When I first get a novel, I put it into a format that’s much like a published novel. ROUND ONE Read the first time as a reader. Then, when you need to read the whole book for pacing, plot holes, tension, world, voice, character arc, you won’t see those things as clearly because you’ve already got the story in your head. At that point, you’ve ruined the freshness of the story, the words, the voice. When you read chapters at a time, you’ll see the book as chapters. It’s the only first read you’ll ever get. The first time you read something, it’s a magical opportunity. Reinforcing what’s working will help the writer make better decisions. It’s easy as a writer to overreact to an edit you receive and either trash the whole thing or clip entire scenes that didn’t need to go. When I first started editing, I’d get the manuscript back and a lot of the stuff I loved would’ve been taken out. The Basics Note the good and the…not so good.ĭon’t only note what’s not working, but make sure to say what you love, what makes you laugh, anything positive that will be uplifting and also help them keep what they should keep while also discarding or changing what isn’t working. ![]() But it should give you a general outline of what I’ve found to be the most effective way to critique another’s writing. Please note, this is all off the top of my head, so there’s a lot more things to look for. The higher level writing you submit, the higher level of revision you’ll be able to accomplish with their feedback. ![]() Becoming a critique partner will not only let you help out another writer, it’ll help you get better at critiquing your own work. ![]()
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