I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been sick. No, I don’t have the Coronavirus. I had the flu, which turned into bronchitis. Now that I’m feeling better, we can’t go anywhere, but I’m grateful to be well and grateful that my family and friends are well. During this difficult, strange time, when many of us are confined to our homes, I’ve decided to focus on my faith and my writing.
What is happening in the world is out of my control. All I can do is try and stay healthy. This is in God’s hands. That doesn’t mean I understand it, just that I accept it. I pray a lot and try to leave my worries at the cross. I am also reaching out to friends and neighbors. I watch a limited amount of news, and then look for distractions.
My WIP sat for a month while I was sick. I got back to it last week and completed my second round of edits. My previous post talked about revising and editing. Here are some additional questions to ask yourself as you edit.
*Is the story plausible and does it play out naturally?
*Is there an immediate conflict?
*Are your scenes interesting? Cut the least memorable one.
*Do you need subplots to keep the story moving?
*Is suspense drawn out to increase tension?
*Is the dialogue realistic?
*Have you used sensory descriptions that invoke all the senses? Many of us just use sight or sound.
*Is there too much exposition?
Beta readers can also be beneficial. Or not. My recent beta reader’s only comment was “I like it”. That’s not especially helpful. When I pressed him, however, and asked specific questions, he was very helpful. Because of his feedback, I’ve decided to rewrite the ending. Not a small task.
Later this year, I plan to hire a developmental editor for another WIP. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Until next time, stay well.
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The Message Pub 
When I look at character motivation, I ask myself if this is reasonable. If I have to spend too much time explaining a character’s motivation to the other characters, it comes out more as a defense than an explanation. I need to fix that.
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That’s so interesting you would bring that up. Sometimes, it can be difficult to discern what the reader will infer. I am also guilty of explaining too much or not enough. In fact, I’m rewriting my WIP ending because I had to explain too much at the end. Now, I’m trying to subtly weave in some of the explanation throughout the story without giving away the ending.
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Great list of questions and glad to see you are feeling better.
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