Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Writing Tip Tuesday

Another handy revision technique is to use highlighters.

Like the focused read-through discussed last week, try reading the entire manuscript with only one element in mind.

But this time, use a highlighter each and every time you find one of the following:
  • Interior monologue
  • Dialogue tags
  • Dialogue beats
  • Words you know you tend to overuse
  • Any emotions mentioned (e.g., Sarah felt sad. John was surprised. Amanda was furious.)
  • All -ly adverbs

Obviously, you will need to use a different color for each item.

This will give you an immediate visual image and give your revision FOCUS.

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