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Wednesday's WIP Ink


Hi everyone :) I hope everyone's having a great week. It's Jess here to quickly talk about your WIP. If you're like me and in a Revision Cave, I think the quote above will do you some good. Don't be afraid to completely rip your first draft apart. It hurts, sure, but think how awesome it will be in the end! So tear it apart-- find the things that work and the ones that don't.

If you are looking for things to take out in order to make your first draft as strong as it can be at this stage, here are a few ideas:

  • Take out unnecessary characters. 
  • Trim or add scenes accordingly. 
  • Add world building, or take out anything that's just too much. 
  • Watch out for passive voice, ly-words and other adverbs. 
  • Be sure to take out any helping verbs and back story. 
  • Most important of all, take out places where you tell instead of show. Show us what your characters are going through, don't tell us.

Don't be afraid to rip your WIP's first draft apart. All that first draft is a frame, a boundary to the sandbox-- so go play in it.

Now it's time I return to GYRE's Revision Cave...

Comments

  1. Alex J. CavanaughMay 8, 2013 at 2:42 PM

    All very good tips! Showing is probably the most difficult.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica HarveyMay 8, 2013 at 2:48 PM

      It is definitely the thing I am having the most difficulty with at the moment!

      Delete
  2. UnknownMay 9, 2013 at 7:05 AM

    When I write my first draft it is really just an elaborate set of summaries; full of tell not show. It's hard to go back and weed that all out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ink in the BookMay 11, 2013 at 9:21 AM

      I know! Revising is harder than writing, in my opinion.

      Delete
  3. Deanie Humphrys-DunneMay 10, 2013 at 8:03 AM

    Very helpful hints, Jessica. Thanks for sharing them. It's my first time visiting your blog, but I'll come back often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ink in the BookMay 11, 2013 at 9:22 AM

      Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you enjoyed Jess's post!

      Delete

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