Craft – Page 5 – Susan Uhlig

X Draft is Done! (revising a novel)

Posted on September 25, 2024September 24, 2024 by Susan Uhlig

Yea, for you! You’ve completed several drafts of your novel. You’ve already looked at the big picture. The plot is working, your characters are strong, and it’s now time to look more closely at the words on the page. “Writing is about getting down to it, about finding your way into the moment and sustaining the energy for as long as you can effectively. But the REAL writing is during revision.” – Steven Gillis

First, take a break—I suggest a couple weeks. Think about something else, read some books, enjoy the outdoors, talk with friends. This will help you be fresh when you dive into revising.

Second, prepare. You may already know some of your areas of weakness. If so, now’s a good time to read up on those subjects. If you’re not sure, read about revising in general. Here are a few posts from my archives to get you started.

General Novel Writing Revisions:

Revising a Novel

Self-Editing Tips

Truth in Fiction

The following is a collection of posts on a variety of topics. Many will include resources to other posts or articles. Some may have similar information. I’m sure these posts aren’t all-inclusive, but many are ones I’ve struggled with or have seen in others’ writings.

Mechanics:

The Breaks of Paragraphing

Do you struggle with grammar? – some helpful resources

Perfecting Dialogue Punctuation

Beats, Taglines, and Areas to Tighten:

Yes, some writers write too tersely but most of us could benefit in tightening in some area or another. And I do mention where to expand as well. See if any of these apply to your writing.

Are You Stage Directing?

Distancing Your Reader

He Thought to Himself and Other Excesses

I, I, I – Writing in First Person

Looking Everywhere

Overwriting

Overwriting – Take Two

Run Away Words

Taglines and Beats

Three, Not Four

Underwriting

Check your Setting and Use of Senses:

This is an area that many writers don’t include when they are first writing a story.

Ground Me – sense of place or setting

Moment-by-Moment – being on scene

Sensory Details

Showing the Passage of Time

Showing Versus Telling

What Should I Describe?

Third, make a list of the areas you need to work on. It’ll help you keep track of what needs to be done.

Fourth, get to work. You don’t have to try to edit everything at once, but focus on one weakness. Later move on to another, etc.

William Zinsser said, “Rewriting is where the game is won or lost.” Get out there and win!

scrabble tiles on an orange background - most are face down, but four spell out the word plan

Before You Begin, Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing, Tools

Preplanning and Beginning to Write Your Novel

Posted on September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by Susan Uhlig

Preplanning your novel. Some people outline, other writers just write. I’m the latter—a pantser with a plan. So, before we go any further, an explanation of the methods:

“To Pants or To Plot: Which One Is Best for Your Story?” by Nisha Tuli. This article has lots of references to other reading as well.

If you’re an outliner, I thought this article was helpful: “Outline Tools to Structure Your Children’s Book Plot.”

As a pantser, I still need to know some things before I can start actually writing. Whether I start with a character or plot, I need to know a little bit about who and what. I also like to have thoughts on where I think the story is going.

These posts from my archives might be of use before you write your novel.

Character related:

Making Friends: Character Development

Naming Characters – from Mary’s Notebook

Naming Your Character

The Right Number of Characters

Show Your Character’s Character

Viewpoint in Children’s Fiction – point of view – which can definitely change as you revise

Plot related:

Novel-sized Problem

Raise the stakes, honey!

Know what you’re writing:

So, You Want to Write a Book…

Theme and Premise

Writing a Novel? Where Does It Fit?

Especially for pantsers:

If you’re at the beginning stages of writing a novel, and don’t have an outline, how do you keep track of people, scenes, days of the week, etc.?

Here are some posts sharing thoughts on those topics:

Do You Have Style? aka Master Character Chart

The Story Ladder or Novel Timeline

I’d love to hear from others on how they plan and begin a novel. Feel free to share in comments.

Craft, PB, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

Posts about Writing Picture Books

Posted on June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 by Susan Uhlig

Here’s a flashback to the archives—a collection of posts especially of interest to picture book writers:

Creative Picture Book Formats

Fractured Fairy Tale Picture Books

How to Submit a Picture Book

Keeping Up with Picture Books – new ones come out all the time

Magazine Story or Picture Book?

Picture Book Fails

Picture Perfect Picture Books

Picture Book Problems

Rhyming Picture Books

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

If there’s a picture book topic you’d like covered, please let me know.

drawing of a silhouette where a female and male are tugging a rope

Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

On Scene Please

Posted on May 27, 2024May 27, 2024 by Susan Uhlig

I did it again—summarized an important scene. Fortunately, my critique group caught me. Of course, my main character should have been there instead of her mother telling her about it. Duh! I’d removed all tension.

September C. Fawkes said, “Anything the story has been building and building and building up to, should probably be a scene.” This statement really clarifies for me why I shouldn’t have summarized at that point in my story. What happened was a big deal.

C.S. Lakin said, “…focus on the emotional change in the character as he reacts to the new situational development that occurs…” If my character only hears the news her emotional changes are going to be weaker. And we don’t get to see the other character changing nor his emotions. I’m distancing my character and my reader by telling.

“Scenes tend to be much better at delivering tension and insight into character.” – TD Storm

So, why would I put something important off scene?

I wasn’t sure what should happen.
It felt difficult.
I was rushing to move forward.
I’d forgotten one of the main issues in my story.

All that’s okay in my first draft, but when revising, I need to look more closely at my scenes and my summaries. Here’s a definition by Eva Langston of the difference between the two: “In fiction writing, a scene is when the writer puts us directly into a specific place and time and shows us what’s happening through dialogue, action, internal thoughts, and description. Summary, on the other hand, is when the writer tells us something without creating a full scene.”

Basically, we summarize to jump ahead to the next important scene. Summaries include transitions such as time passing or characters doing mundane acts that don’t move the story forward. Summaries can set mood or tell the reader something they need to know. They’re telling instead of showing.

Sometimes summaries give backstory at the beginning of a book, but not in a boring way. Read the example Eva Langston gives in her article, “Summary and Scene in Fiction Writing: How and Why to Use them Both.”

But scene is what we really read for. It’s where we experience what’s happening with the character. It’s the drama. And I need to remind myself of that when writing.

In conclusion, here’s a quote for me to remember: “A good rule of thumb is, the more important the moment, the more likely it needs to be rendered as a scene.” – Fawkes

illustration of moon and clouds saying, Star Light Star Bright

Craft, The Nitty Gritty of Children's Writing

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

Posted on April 17, 2024January 4, 2025 by Susan Uhlig

Rhyming in picture books is great if the rhythm and rhymes are perfect. But forced rhymes or rhythm can spoil a story. Ann Whitford Paul says, “Rhyme without rhythm is like bread without butter.” Or maybe butter without bread! Many editors say they hate near rhyme: cat/path, box/blacks. Awkward sentence structure to force a rhyme makes for awkward reading. And the text has to make sense.

I like what editor Paula Morrow says, “Poetry is an art form requiring a lot of discipline in language. It’s two different ways of writing, and the successful rhyming story requires both: First the heat of inspiration, then the cool control of revising and refining.”

Since I don’t write rhyme, I thought I’d share some great resources.

Good Story Company founded by former literary agent Mary Kole has this post:

“How to Write a Rhyming Picture Book”

Picture book Author Josh Funk has a number of posts about writing picture books. Here are a few on this topic:

“Don’t Write in Rhyme”

“Rhyming Is All About Rhythm”

Picture book Author Laura Bontje has a number of helpful posts:

“5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Rhyming Picture Book”

“Taking the Stress Out of Metre and Stress”

“Do Rhyming Picture Books Work Like Songs?”

Author and Publisher Brooke Vitale has this interesting post:

“How To Write a Rhyming Children’s Book in Perfect Rhyme!”