So my query is out there and while I wait, it is time to spit shine. I've been mad revising my current MG adventure for the past two months. So much so, I could no longer process. I rewrote one sentence 3 times before I just gave up and went to bed. I've let the manuscript go cold for two weeks so that I might spit shine this story one last time...is there ever a last time, really? No. It won't be done until it has a cover wrapped around it and you can find it in a bookstore. But for now, I'm giving it one last shine until I hear from the agents.
So what is a revision spit shine? This is when you tighten prose and rework tells. My other writerly friend, Rondi, is querying and revising as well and she had some great advice on how to spit-shine: Every scene needs to be riveting, moving the story forward, every word a gem. And Janice Hardy really explains this best. I seriously have her blog open and go through searching for each word in my WIP. Tedious? Yes, but worth it. I find I'm catching a lot. I have pet words too that I need to delete or change. All my characters still love to slide. They slide through doors, across the floor, out of their seats...you get the point.
Do you have a pet word?
What do you do to spit shine a manuscript?
No comments:
Post a Comment