Camilla Chester - Children's Author
  • Home
  • About Camilla
  • Camilla's Books
  • Author Visits
  • Blog
  • Buy Books
  • Teaching Resources
  • Contact
  • Book Launch

Blog

Redrafting Begins

16/7/2016

0 Comments

 
I finished the first draft of Thirteenth Wish about two months ago, but I've been too busy with promoting Jarred Dreams to do any work on it. That ends today.

It will be an advantage that I have had so much distance from the book as it will give me a chance to look at the entire story in an objective way.

I have watched the amazing editing tips video of N M Browne and my nose is now in Stephen King On Writing (finished Mumnesia which was a fabulous read - would recommend it). I will also go back to my course notes and revisit the on-line course that I'm doing for editing tips and pointers.

What I will do next is to print off the first draft, go through and scrawl all over it, then I will ask all those important questions that Nicky suggests:
1. Who is the story about?
2. Is your story the real story or is there a different story hiding behind that would be better?
3. Do you have enough characters or too many?
4. Is the story being told through the characters or is it too much from your own head?
5. Do you need to change the way the story is being told e.g tense? POV?
6. What do you need to take out? E.g. too much description?
7. What needs more page time? Have you rushed important scenes or plot points?
8. Write a synopsis of the story - can you sum it up in one sentence?
9. Try to pitch the book - can you? Easily?
10. Go back to the plan - does the story fit? Is there character arcs? Does the ending satisfy the reader and relate to the beginning?
11. Does it make sense? Is it consistent or have you left unanswered threads?

Those are the main ones and creates a new draft, usually completely different to the original. The next stage then repeats this process, but hopefully this draft will answer these questions without needing too much altering.

It is only afterwards that  I do the more detailed pruning and editing: making sure each word is doing it's job and needs to be there. 

Lots of work ahead - best get cracking.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Camilla's Blog

    Welcome to my blog, a place where you can keep up to date with what I am up to.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2015
  • Home
  • About Camilla
  • Camilla's Books
  • Author Visits
  • Blog
  • Buy Books
  • Teaching Resources
  • Contact
  • Book Launch