Editorial feedback on Bewitched & Betrayed (Part II)
I'm on the last three chapters of the Bewitched & Betrayed edits. Because so much always happens in my final chapters, Anne has quite a few comments, so it'll take me a little more time to get through these. I'm within 473 words of cutting the manuscript down to the same size as The Trouble With Demons. Anne would like for me to get it smaller (and tighter). I don't think that'll be a problem since once I get to the end of the book with the edits, I'm going back to the beginning and going through it one last time. This book's plot is gonna be so tight I'll be able to bounce a quarter off it. ; )
Today's topic is based on the suggestion from Anne to further streamline the Bewitched & Betrayed's plot and trim & tighten the manuscript -- either deleting unnecessary minor characters and deadend subplots. It wasn't as difficult as it sounded, and it worked like a charm.
Becoming familiar with my minor characters during the course of writing a book, I sometimes forget that I'm giving my editor "character name overload." She reminded me that readers generally assume that named characters are going to have a role to play. I had a lot of minor characters who I mentioned one or two times and then they fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again. She suggested that rather than naming necessary minor characters that I identify them by their function ("the butler" instead of "Giles", "the trainer" instead of "Riston", "Piaras's bodyguards" rather than their actual names (can't remember them right now).
Then there are the subplots that I either didn't pay off -- seemed like a great subplot at the time, but it wasn't necessary to the story, didn't move it forward, and it just ate up word count. And that is the key to every book in existence -- the plot must move forward. Constantly.
I cut the subplot out and put it in my Notes file for the next book. I'm sure I'll use it eventually, when it can be integral to the story.
Tomorrow's topic: Editorial Feedback on Bewitched & Betrayed (Part III) -- It's all in the details.
Lisa
Today's topic is based on the suggestion from Anne to further streamline the Bewitched & Betrayed's plot and trim & tighten the manuscript -- either deleting unnecessary minor characters and deadend subplots. It wasn't as difficult as it sounded, and it worked like a charm.
Becoming familiar with my minor characters during the course of writing a book, I sometimes forget that I'm giving my editor "character name overload." She reminded me that readers generally assume that named characters are going to have a role to play. I had a lot of minor characters who I mentioned one or two times and then they fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again. She suggested that rather than naming necessary minor characters that I identify them by their function ("the butler" instead of "Giles", "the trainer" instead of "Riston", "Piaras's bodyguards" rather than their actual names (can't remember them right now).
Then there are the subplots that I either didn't pay off -- seemed like a great subplot at the time, but it wasn't necessary to the story, didn't move it forward, and it just ate up word count. And that is the key to every book in existence -- the plot must move forward. Constantly.
I cut the subplot out and put it in my Notes file for the next book. I'm sure I'll use it eventually, when it can be integral to the story.
Tomorrow's topic: Editorial Feedback on Bewitched & Betrayed (Part III) -- It's all in the details.
Lisa
posted by Lisa Shearin at
6:01 AM
5 Comments:
Oh, not so bad then. I thought it would be a lot harder to cut your own novel than that. At least you get to use bits again in future novels! :)
For me, it's not hard at all. And it helps to be an editor in my day job.
`Editor in the day job.' Yeah, I can see where that would help.
What do people do who have too few characters? Or has that never been a problem for you?
LOL! Too few characters has NEVER been a problem for me.
It's interesting how authors allocate names to their characters.
I just finished The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells. I'm pretty sure that only two people had names in that book, and both of them died in the opening act. Even the narrator's name is never mentioned. Everyone else is just "the curate," "the artilleryman," "my wife."
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