Hello again. Looking for pointers here, not sure if there is a hard and fast rule, still learning. (not meant as joke) in my first chapter an accident takes place and I feel to make it work it has to be seen from a number of points of view, literal points of view. so with each flip back to the beginning for the next pov do I place *** in the centre of the page between the close of one pov and the opening of the next? I do hope that is clear, it is to me but then I know what I mean!
Thank you again in advance. Regards Paul G
Paul, it's the good part of writing, where you take that rough piece of work and hone it into something that looks and feels like a novel.
Part of the way we write is the way we hear the words as we type. It all sounds exactly right at the time - in fact, we're convinced this is the only way it can possibly be expressed. Actually, when we come to read them, they don't necessarily work: they're loose, or over-done. There are too many thens - then he did this, then he did that - none of which are needed. We explain movements that are self-evident, or describe scenes because we like them, not because they're necessary to the story.
There is the problem of chucking in every bit of research we've done, just because we know it and not because it needs to be there. That happens a lot, and it's never a success.
We put into dialogue all the useless things we say, but they shouldn't be there on the page: they slow things down, or take up space, or stop us from seeing the urgency of the speech. Er, um, well - we litter speech with all of these, but they should be weeded out. They don't make the dialogue sound natural - they hinder it.
As for adverbs and adjectives - prune and prune again!
There is so much that can be dispensed with to make the telling tighter and more immediate.
As for the plot, you have to question everything. Does this bit belong here? Does it lead to another bit, or is it there as padding? If it doesn't add anything to the novel, cut it out, and if it's too good to lose, put it to one side and use it in the next one. (Yes, there will be a chance to go through this whole agonising process all over again!)
A novel is a piece of written work which tells a story within a limited space. Everything inside the covers has to matter and has to be right in its place. If neither of these applies to a page or a paragraph, lose it. That's how you get rid of 55%! (It can be less than that, of course - depends on how ruthless/skilled you were when you wrote it.)
Good luck!
Lorraine
Thank you Lorraine, as ever always excellent advice and thank you also Robin, I will take a look at that opening.
I will leave things as they are and not use any asterix. I had noticed it used quite a lot in the book I am reading at the moment, that was what prompted my question.
Yes I see, as it isn't actually a change in time but the same time, yes I see that now.
Sometimes it takes a little longer with me for the obvious to trickle through but it has.
Now I am getting to grips with another part of writing I didn't understand, that being, and as you can see I am quoting. "Now you need to lose about 50% of your words" I didn't understand that because it hadn't been explained. However, I think that has got through as well. so correct me if I'm wrong it is getting rid of the wordiness and not cutting great swathes away from the plot. Yes I know I should have realised it wasn't the story she suggested I lose. Hey Ho!
Many thanks regards Paul.
Hi Paul,
Don't know if it will help, but look at the first chapter of The Waves by Virginia Woolf.
She does it quite naturally.
Robin