For latchkey kids everywhere
Like so many things, revision of a novel takes time. It takes time to read it through and think about the cohesion of it. It takes time to map out the plot arcs and try to match each chapter with its intent and pace. It takes time to review each scene for value and construction.... Continue Reading →
One strategy during revision is to write the scenes that take place outside of the narrator’s experience. What happened before he entered the room? Those scenes can help me imagine everything from the posture to the motivation of the various characters when our narrator does arrive. So here’s a scene that drives action in the... Continue Reading →
In a short story I wrote about the last night I lived in my parents’ house before moving to Clemson, I described an encounter with a guy. He is recognizable to almost anyone who was there that night but those people don’t read my work.Most of them don’t anyway.He almost became more. He almost became... Continue Reading →
There is some amount of instinct to revision. You don’t need to know why something doesn’t sound right, you just need to be able to read it and think, “It’s not right.” That instinct, though, can be acquired. You can cultivate it. To do so you must read. Read read read. The secret to being... Continue Reading →
