This is Part 12 of a 12-part series on Revision is a Process @ 2015 All Rights Reserved
When revising, the focus should be on clarity, with vigilance to the exact meaning of words and how they provide vivid imagery. - Catherine E. McLean
A first draft holds the possibility of what will be a great story. Revision turns that rough diamond into a spectacular gem worth a reader's money and time.
If you have systematically gone through your manuscript and made changes for all the elements covered in this year's twelve-part series on revision, now it's time to print a fresh hard copy to read it through.
This read-through is to make sure all the changes you made worked to better the flow and to create vivid word pictures. As you read, use a red pen (or other vivid colored pen) to mark any typos or spelling or homonym errors you might discover.
Once done fixing those final read-through glitches, you may think your manuscript is the best you can make it, but it isn't ready for the world just yet. Now it's time to give your manuscript to someone who will give you honest, "reader" feedback. That's right, you want "fresh eyes" to see the story. You want beta readers.
How do you find beta readers? One way is to network on blogs for your genre, or by going to writing conferences or workshops and making friends with people who like to read your genre.
If you're planning on going the self-published or independently-published route, you need not only beta readers but also the best fiction editor you can afford. With 4,500 books a day being added to the already 15 million available, your works needs to stand out from the rest, and that means quality storytelling that's been ruthlessly self-edited and then edited professionally.
As always, persevere in telling a story well.
One last thing, in 2016, the Writers Cheat Sheet Blog will be updated quarterly instead of monthly. I'm changing the schedule because of the increased workshop and course instructions I'll be doing. I also want time to write and market my own fiction. So, the topics for 2016 will be:
January, February, and March 2016 - Become the writer you want to be
April, May and June 2016 - Said is not Dead
July, August, and September 2016 - 3 Biggest Mistakes New Writers Make
October, November, and December 2016 - Structured Creativity Liberates
Catherine E. McLean
*** Questions and comments are welcomed and are always answered.
*** Permission is granted to forward a link to this blog or mention it on any social media.
*** Upcoming 2016 Workshops:
January - HOOKS
February - CAUSE & EFFECT SEQUENCES
Information is at: http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/upcoming-workshops.html
*** IN 2016, these posts will be put into one file for downloading. To be notified when this is available, Connect With Catherine at
http://www.writerscheatsheets.com/connect-with-catherine.html
*** "Terrific Titles—an all inclusive guide to creating story titles" and other Writers Cheat Sheets are available HERE.
***Free Holiday Recipes! http://www.catherineemclean.com/giveaway.html
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