Hello, HarperCollins? Are you there? …I guess not.
.JPG "A Life in Reflection Memoir and Revision") |
| Reflection in Memoir is crucial. |
Time to rise from my knees, add reflection
to my life, and revise. It’s so easy to
type, isn’t it? So much harder to do.
Writing is a career. I need to remember this. And like other careers, some tasks can be
more difficult. Revision. More often than not, I understand narrative
arc, characterization, and sense of place.
I know not to bog down my prose with too much detail. [I try, I really try…]
I know to hook the reader at the
beginning of the story. In medias
res? At least for my short stories, I do. Build tension? Definitely.
A ticking clock—whether age-related, as in my memoir about attending
college with five children in tow, or literal—helps. Each scene counts. Everything used in story must be integral to
the plot. Always.
It shouldn’t be “I, I, I”—even in
memoir. But how to break that cycle? I’m a scene painter, but need to decide if each
one is the right color for the memoir.
I try to create flowing prose
with varied sentence structure.
…Sometimes…I think. Then again,
I’m still in the market for a good critique partner.
Knowing the rules of writing is one
thing. Doing all of them is
another. One at a time, comb the
manuscript for potential errors.
Otherwise you’ll remain on your knees and fail to return to the computer. No one said writing was easy.
Do you have some revision tips to
share? Please leave a comment. It is always greatly appreciated. Happy Spring!
Your post title attracted me because I'm currently in the process of writing a memoir. I've found in memoir as in fiction, going with my gut feelings about what works and what doesn't is my best guide. Then when I know something doesn't work I need to find out why, and that's when I go to my sources of information. If I try to write with the sources and how to books at my elbow it doesn't let me really get in tune with my inner feelings about story and characters. we wouldn't be writers if we didn't already have an innate sense about how to tell a story. That need is what drives us and we need to listen to our own gut feelings, our heart, and tell the story. And then of course practice practice practice. I wish right now I could triple the time each day I spend writing. I need to, to just get the time in, because it's writing itself that increases that sense of what's right and what works.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Karen, for this inspiring insight into writing. I really needed this and appreciate it greatly. I always appreciate your taking the time to visit Adventures in Writing and leaving comments. What is the focus of your memoir?
ReplyDeleteKeep at it! Don't give up!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Michelle, for the vote of confidence. It is greatly appreciated. Thanks for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog. Please stop by again.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, getting down to the individual sentences and words is so important. The fact that you're aware of what you need to do means you are that much closer.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Theresa, for your insight and your vote of confidence. I'll keep hammering away at it for sure. As always, thanks for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog.
ReplyDeleteI am looking for a critique partner as well and am in the revision stage. I find printing out sections and using the highlighter liberally to show where to add metaphor or to add senses helps. You can use post it notes to scribble parts needed and attach them to the side of the page.
ReplyDeleteI"m not there yet though. Just heard this helps. :)
Hello and welcome, Clarbojahn, to Adventures in Writing. These are wonderful tips. Thanks so much for sharing them. What genre are you writing? Perhaps we could contact each other to see if we would make good critique partners. Thanks again for stopping by Adventures in Writing and leaving a comment. It is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhen editing, Victoria, I read aloud to hear the sentence and I find that is the easiest was to catch wrong sentence structure etc.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Nas. I read aloud all the time. It's also good to listen to someone else read your work. Listen to where they trip up on the sentences. Listen to the voice. Thank you so much, Nas, for visiting my Adventures in Writing blog and leaving a comment. It is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYou welcome :)
DeleteThis is my first visit, you guys are great. Thanks for the insights.
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome, Jean, to my Adventures in Writing blog. You are very welcome to any information here. Ask questions, if you'd like. Helping fellow writers is what blogging is for. Thanks for visiting. Please stop by again.
ReplyDelete