{"id":22649,"date":"2020-02-18T03:00:52","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=22649"},"modified":"2020-02-13T07:47:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T15:47:11","slug":"four-exercises-for-better-revision-by-kay-keppler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/18\/four-exercises-for-better-revision-by-kay-keppler\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Exercises for Better Revision by Kay Keppler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Four<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist, editor, and novelist, Kay Keppler<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cFour Exercises for Better Revision.” Enjoy! <\/em><\/p>\n

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Writing a novel\u2014putting words on the page\u2014leaves your work only half-done. You still need to revise it to make it as tight and as polished as you can. Even if you think it\u2019s ready for the big time, try these four exercises to examine your manuscript with fresh eyes and spot areas that could be improved.<\/span><\/p>\n

Give your protagonist agency<\/h3>\n

Do things happen to your characters, or do they seize the bull by the horns? Do they react, or do they take charge? Characters who have <\/span>agency<\/span><\/i>\u2014who lead the way, make choices, take action\u2014are more fun to read.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say your characters should always make the best decisions. They can (they should!) make mistakes, get wrong information, have character flaws that set them off on the wrong path. Even better! We all fear for the young girl who walks down the dark alley by herself, or the kayaker who sets off alone on the Class 5 rapids. These bad choices create page-turning tension, as well as a turning point in a character arc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having agency means that you shouldn\u2019t let your character \u201crealize\u201d anything. She shouldn\u2019t sit on a chair and realize the oven is hot. She should put her hand on it and find out. By taking action, she brings the reader with her on her journey. That burned hand can become a turning point.<\/span><\/p>\n

#1 Exercise for Better Revision<\/span><\/h2>\n

Exercise:<\/span><\/i> Find the moments in your story where the direction of the plot changes because of a character\u2019s choice. If you can\u2019t find any, you have some work to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reassess your dialogue\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Do not let your characters sit and chat. Or \u201crealize.\u201d Or \u201cdetermine.\u201d Do not let them engage in a Socratic discussion with another character. Great dialogue is fun to read, but it must serve a purpose. Don\u2019t let it kill the momentum of your story. Use it to show character or advance the plot. And then make sure you follow that up with action.<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 Exercise for Better Revision\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Exercise:<\/span><\/i> Reexamine your dialogue. Are your characters revealing themselves to each other? Are they planning the next bank robbery? Keep it quick, and then get on with the story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scale the emotions<\/h3>\n

You might know a person who can go from a murderous rage to sentimental mess in a heartbeat, but fiction is different. You have to convince a reader about a character\u2019s emotional state, especially when those emotions change over the course of a scene. You have to build those emotions, or the scene might feel jumpy or your character might seem off-kilter.<\/span><\/p>\n

#3 Exercise for Better Revision<\/span><\/h2>\n

Exercise:<\/span><\/i> Reexamine how your characters shift emotions in a scene. Did you give your readers enough time to absorb the character\u2019s emotional journey? You may need to add more subtlety to make the transition clear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cut the junk<\/h3>\n

Everybody uses empty words: <\/span>just, actually, well, simply, now, a little, very<\/span><\/i>. You know what your favorites are! They diminish the impact of your sentences and add nothing to your story.<\/span><\/p>\n

#4 Exercise for Better Revision\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Exercise:<\/span><\/i> Search for these empty words and phrases and delete them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Revision is key to making your book the best it can be. By asking yourself critical questions, you can find where your manuscript might need improvement.<\/span><\/p>\n

This post is based on an excerpt from <\/span>The Novel Editing Workbook: 105 Tricks and Tips for Revising Your Fiction Manuscript<\/span><\/i><\/a> <\/i>by <\/span>Kris Spisak<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Editor\u2019s note: If you\u2019re looking for a course on editing and revising your genre fiction novel, check out our Edit Your Novel Bootcamp<\/a><\/span>. If you\u2019re looking for one-on-one and group support go here<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/h2>\n

\"On<\/a>Kay Keppler<\/a> is an author Zero Gravity Outcasts<\/a><\/em>, Betting on Hope<\/a><\/em>, Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas<\/a><\/em>, and editor of fiction and nonfiction \u2013Angel\u2019s Kiss<\/a><\/em> and Outsource It<\/em>!<\/p>\n

She lives in northern California. Contact her here at Writer\u2019s Fun Zone in the comments below, or at kaykeppler@yahoo.com<\/a> to ask questions, suggest topics, or if you prefer, complain.<\/p>\n

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More popular articles by Kay Keppler on Writer’s Fun Zone:<\/strong><\/p>\n