Writing tips - How to Revise - Part 2 of 2

Here's part 2 of my revision tips - steps 6 to 10.

STEP SIX

If you’ve got a twist in your novel – and you need at least one big one and maybe a clutch of smaller ones too – the revision stage is when you need to go back and sow a few clues. Then when the reader is surprised by the twist towards the end and goes back to see how that could happen, he or she will find some clues that weren’t obvious at the time.

For example, in my Sophie King novel The Wedding Party , one of the characters gets a job looking after a garden which used to belong to her, many years earlier. The garden is described in detail and there is a passing reference to a pond. Later the pond assumes a much larger role… So, too, does the new owner of the garden.

It’s usually easier to drop the clues in AFTER you’ve written the twist. You can have quite a lot of fun, doing this!

STEP SEVEN

Make sure that each chapter has a cliffhanger (tricky situation) at the end which makes the reader want to read on. Also check that there is a mixture of action and description and narrative. If it’s all action, your reader will be exhausted. But if it’s just description and narrative which tells a story rather than getting the reader inside the character’s head, that can be boring.

You might also find, while reading your story through, that the story isn’t as interesting as you thought. If so, do something about it rather than telling yourself it will be all right! Try increasing the stakes for your character by giving him/her another problem to deal with.

STEP EIGHT: MULTI-VIEWPOINT

If you have more than one character telling the story, it can help to look at each character’s strand. For instance, The Wedding Party is from the point of view of the groom’s ex-wife, his daughter, the vicar and the wedding planner. As part of my revision process, I looked at the ex-wife chapters first and then the daughter’s and so on. It helped me to fill in any gaps. See it as teasing out different colours from a skein of silk.

STEP NINE

Go through each chapter and make sure you can smell it. What perfume does the heroine wear? If it’s spring, do you describe the dank, moist air? Can the reader see enough colour? This isn’t just the shade of a dress or a tie. It’s the pink and mauve sunset or a yellow car or a bright pink shop facade.

Remember texture too. Does one of your characters wear a coat that feels silky to the touch? And what kind of noises does she hear? Is it the hum of the radio through the wall of the adjoining terrace or the cry of a baby in a supermarket. A baby that reminds your character of another baby, long ago...

It’s hard to put in all the senses while you’re writing a story. You’re probably too busy working on the plot. But you can do so, during the revision process.

STEP TEN

Check your manuscript is presented nicely. It should be in a readable font and point size such as Times Roman in 12 point. Lines should be double spaced and each page must be numbered. There should be at least two paragraphs per page and a separate one, every time someone speaks. Remember speech marks too. Many publishes are happy with single inverted commas but it can be wise to do double ones so you can then use single in reported speech eg “I was shocked,” whispered June. “He actually told me to ‘Beat it’. Those were his very words. Can you imagine it?”

Here, the single quotes indicate that June was referring to something that someone else told her.

Put your name and contact details and the title on the first page. It also goes without saying that this needs to be typed. Similarly, don’t correct any typos in ink or pencil. In today’s computer age, a clean copy is expected.