Editing 101

Passive verbs. Half the battle is figuring out what they are, so you incorporate them much less the next time around.  

Many people also don't realize their abuse of the "to be" verb. (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, become, became) First off, I suggest using the Find/Highlight option on your computer to check how often you're using them. You may or may not be surprised how much these words eat their way into your pages.

Today, I'm going to talk about was, were, and other variations of the "state of being." 

"Was" and "were" are my safety blanket. They're the verbs I use when nothing else pops into my mind.  If you are using these verbs, I can guarantee you there is a stronger, more active verb just itching to be used.

1. How to recognize active and passive sentences.

a. Find the subject (the MC of the sentence so to speak)

b. Find the main verb (the action that the sentence identifies)

c. Examine the relationship between the subject and main verb

-Do the subject perform the action of the main verb? (If yes, then its active.)

-Doe the subject sit there while something else performs an action? (If yes, your sentence is passive, my friend.)

-Can't tell? If the main verb is a linking verb (the ones mentioned above) then the verb functions like an equal sing. There's no action involved.

2. Basic Examples

"I love you." --> Active

"You are loved by me." --> Passive

3. Difference between Passive Voice and Past Tense

a. Many people confuse the passive voice with the past tense. The most commong passive constructions also happen to be past tense (ex. I've been framed.), but "voice" has to do with who, while "tense" has to do with when.

Past Tense:  

Active: I taught  Passive: I was (have been) taught [by someone]

Present Tense: 

Active: I teach    Passive: I am (being) taught [by someone]

4. The Passive Voice is not always Wrong!

a. passive verbs are not automatically wrong. When used rarely and deliberately, the passive voice serves an important purpose.

-When you want to downplay an action

-When you want to downplay the character

-When the character is unknown

Here are some trickier examples of passive voice:

"Punctuality seems important." & "Remember to brush your teeth."

There's loads of information online that, when it comes time for editing, you can use for research. As for me, I found this information here. And, they have a lot more information on their website if, like me, you're working on draft 2.

Omitting Scenes

When is it a good time to delete a scene? Here's my main reasons for hitting the good 'ol delete button. Lack of emotions: the focus may be on something other than your MC, and you find him/her sitting in the sidelines.  Or, is it too slow: Will the scene cut speed up the action of the story? 

Here's some more useful information on writing scenes:

Step 1. Consider the scene's placement in the overall novel. Where are the characters coming from--both physically and emotionally--and where will they proceed once the scene is done? Understand how the scene fits into the complete narrative arc and what purpose it plays in moving toward your conclusion.

Step 2. Work out the basic action in your scene: Which characters are involved, what do they do in the scene and how does their behavior change (or not change) the course of the narrative? You don't have to be that detailed, at least not yet. You just want a bare-bones framework of how it's all going to play out.

Step 3. Generate a tone for the scene consistent with the emotions you want to convey. If you're writing an action scene, it should be tension-filled and exciting. If it's a romantic breakup, it should be tragic and painful. The tone can come out in the emotions of the characters or the tenor of the description, but it needs to be consistent throughout the scene.

Step 4. Establish a setting for the scene that fits the mood and tone. It can be just about anywhere, though it should have a logical connection to the remainder of the story and be conducive to whatever action you have set up. Describe the setting to the reader at the beginning of the scene. You should give a strong impression of the locale and include any important details, but otherwise refrain from devolving into excess description.

Step 5. Write a draft of the scene based on your conclusions in the previous steps. Include any dialogue between the characters, descriptions of the things they do in the scene, a proper beginning, development and an end (which should logically proceed to the next scene).

Step 6. Revise your scene, cutting out any unnecessary details. Polish the prose if it needs work. Some authors like to do this as part of revising the novel as a whole. Others like to do it scene by scene, in order to keep themselves focused on the immediate task. Whatever method works best for you is the right one, but no scene is complete until it goes through at least one careful revision.

Tips & Warnings.

As your writing skills improve, consider experimenting with the way you write scenes. Work on flashbacks, cross-cutting, use of the present tense and similarly creative alternatives. Like everything else, it's preferable to start out with the basics, but plain-vanilla scenes can get boring after a time...as well as prevent you from stretching your wings as a writer.

Source: eHow.com

Making your first page SPARKLE

If you want to be published, the first page of your novel HAS to be good. It HAS to draw the agent/editor/reader in.

Here are two links to read up on how to make your first page shine:

eHow and DarcyPat (my favorite)

Now, I'm off to work, and I won't be post anything tomorrow. Sorry guys, but I'll be doing the Buddy Walk (Down Syndrome) in my town. Have a great Saturday!

To Outline or Not to Outline?

So, today I've been working on my new WIP. It got me thinking. . .Should my outline be more concise? Of course, I decided no. No way, because my novel is taking a turn of its own, where one character is screaming at me that HE should be the killer. Naturally, I've decided to let him pillage the village or however that saying goes. And, believe it or not, he's doing a pretty good job at being evil--though my MC doesn't know it's him yet.

The question is: When does outlining  a novel work?

Personally, I have to have a sense of what my story is and where it's going. If you're writing a mystery like me, then you know you have to have a good idea who the crime solver and killer are and who wins in the end. 

Of course, having a not-so-normal killer can be difficult. Take my novel for example. I had to have a good grasp on the ending, because, well, my killer can't exactly have handcuffs thrown on him. Nor can he live it up with a bunch of jailmates.

Yeah, that's why I needed a solid outline for this one(though I'm always up for revising it). In order to make something believable to others, I have to believe it myself. And, I can't do that if the ending doesn't flow and become feasible. 

The one thing I ALWAYS do, however, is the whole character sketching. Not right away, anyway. Then, I write a sample chapter where I let the characters interact, and generally, I am able to figure out their personalities from there and build on it.

That's just me though.