Archive for Editing

Julia Unggai | December 7, 2008
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The Novel is revised, now what?

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I have just completed nanoing and have returned to my manuscript to continue revising. I noticed I have started to tinker around with it. So, I guess I’d better stop tinkering and move on to the next stage in my effort to establish myself as a writer, again, for the second time.

Seriously, I was kind of squinting at first when I stepped-out from my writing burrow into the open world. A writer is a loner when writing, but has to be social when they shop their manuscript around for an agent.

So this is what I’m doing right now. I did a lot of reading on my favorite novels to find out who the authors used for their agents. In fact, I had been doing my research during the summer, reading and building my short list of agents.

Now, I’m ready to shop.

So, if you haven’t finished your revision yet, finish it. And for those who are ready to look for an agent for representation, here are the steps I performed to assemble a list of agents I’m interested to send my query letter:
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Julia Unggai | September 24, 2008
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Revision, revision….

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The novel has been written.

Now it’s time to put it aside for a week and do something you enjoy the most—read your favorite novel, magazines or just get together with friends for a good time. You need to rest as much as possible so when you return to your manuscript, you’ll approach it with a fresh mind. Are you ready?

Go!

“But I’m not ready yet,” you say.
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Julia Unggai | January 9, 2008
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The first critic of your fiction

Year 2008 is here and to all writers out there, I wish you all a wonderful and prosperous new year!

Keep the writing going.

My last entry in my blog was about rewriting your first draft. I had to totally rewrite the last five chapters of my novel. And now I put the novel out of sight and will re-read it later.

Since the writing bug has bitten me, I wrote a short story while waiting for my novel to ‘ferment’. I completed the first draft and found it too long for a short story. My mind is still in the novel writing stage and I have difficulties in condensing it. But it is a short story – it needs trimming – real bad.

So if you have written short stories, you know the elements are similar to a novel – you just need to have one big and important plot. There is no space for a subplot to expand. The writing must be very tight and yet have enough flesh to make the story move forward.

Back to my writing – I was so excited to complete my very first short story – in the English language. I can’t contain my excitement as I broke the first rule in editing your fiction – I showed it to my husband.

Here is the conversation between me and DH (Dear Husband):

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Julia Unggai | December 11, 2007
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Writing is rewriting

Now you have completed your first draft of your manuscript – what’s next?

You should ignore it for several weeks – at least two to three weeks. When you take it out and look at it you should examine it and read it – as a reader with a fresh mind and perspective.

After completing your reading you should ask yourself these questions, “What lingers the most in your mind with what you’ve written?” Are you happy with the ending – or do you think something could be done to improve it? What is it? I find myself asking the same questions over and over when I revise my manuscript.

It is true. Writing is actually rewriting. Your first draft is not complete until it has been revised and rewritten.

There are a lot of “how to books” out there to assist you with the task of editing your manuscript. I find the following advice found in many of them to be helpful:
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