Online Workshop
The Art of Editing in Writing for July
"On a Clear Day:
Editing for Clarity and Publication"
There's nothing like clear communication to get a point across. Even writers of literary fiction must know what they want to say and how best to say it. For clarity, we'll explore and provide fixes for four common problems that keep writers from publication.
Clichés
Two common clichés types are word choice and plot choice. Clichéd word choices are easy to write and understand. But to write with style and keep the reader's interest, clichés aren't recommended, except sometimes in dialogue to convey character. Plot clichés are deadly.
You know a clichéd phrase because you know a cliché. They're easy to spot, especially if you've stepped away from the work before editing. You know a clichéd plot choice when a scene or story is predictable. No one wants to read a piece and think, "I knew that would happen." Or, worse, "I could have written better."
To fix a clichéd word choice, ask yourself what you want to convey. Take, for example, the phrase "off the beaten track." It could mean a place not easy to reach, not well-known or hard to find. Ask yourself which meaning you intend and revise accordingly. For example, Mepkin Abbey, outside Charleston, South Carolina, could be considered off the beaten track, but it's better to say it's a "botanical retreat along the Cooper River." For a clichéd plot choice, for example starting a story with someone waking up, conduct a what-if scenario for characters and plot. For characters, consider a possible flaw or secret. For plot, raise the stakes and increase the conflict. This will enhance the characters, too.
Wordiness
Verbosity comes in varied forms. The words can be unnecessary, overabundant or repetitious. Repetition can also present as recurring text or scenes that don't add meaning or depth.
One way to spot this problem is confusion, annoyance and avoidance. Readers will lose interest in descriptions or scenes that feel familiar. If they really get annoyed, they'll walk away. If your trusted critique group or writing buddy has these reactions, there's a problem.
To fix the problem, cut unnecessary words, use contractions, and expand your vocabulary by reading widely and using a thesaurus to make one word count for two or more. For sections or scenes that recur without added meaning or depth, ask yourself these questions. What is this scene or story really about—why did you create it? How can it be revised to reveal character and advance plot, preferably both at once?
Muddiness
Anyone who's read a legal document has seen muddiness, or lack of clarity, even if the writer was hoping for the opposite result. As the word implies, muddy writing is dull writing.
One way to cure lack of clarity is education, as well as knowing what you want to say even if you're still figuring out how to say it. Let's start by defining metaphors and similes. A metaphor is a word or phrase that's used instead of another to suggest an analogy, for example, "drowning in money." A simile is figure of speech, often using "like," that compares two unlike things, for example, "cheeks like roses." The cure for wordiness works here, too.
Order
Readers can overlook this problem in short descriptions, for example, a character experiencing spring after the seclusion of winter. Jody can go outside, feel the breeze, see the sun and smell the lilacs.
Yet, even in this example, order can improve the scene. For example: Jody opened the door and stood on the porch. The breeze carried the scent of lilacs, and the sun dappled the front lawn. Aside from more description, the phrasing works better because time and events unfold in a way that allows Jody's experience to satisfy her, and the reader's innate sense of order.
One great cure for disorder is doing a timeline. This works well for scenes, chapters and plots.
The Art of Editing in Writing online workshop is different each month, so visit us again in August. For questions, queries or a critique in the meantime, please see the Contact page.
