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 Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 6:37 pm
So, I know how hard it can be to edit your own work.
This thread deals pretty much only with editing poetry.
These are just some techniques I've found useful. Feel free to post your own tips.
1. Read it aloud. This is the best way to test flow, rhyme, and meter.
2. Count the syllables. If a line isn't fitting in with the poem, it probably has too many or too little syllables. Count the number of syllables not only in the line you're testing, but in a few lines before and after it, if not the whole poem.
3. Read it a lot. Over and over again. On the first or second reads, you may not catch something. Keep reading it until you're sure it sounds amazing.
4. Almost rhymes can work too. Sometimes it's impossible to find the perfect rhyme to fit your meaning and meter. So, sometimes it's best to consent with a word that almost rhymes.
5. No, occasionally using a rhyme generator is not cheating. Rhyme generators are like instant-editors, it's like asking your friend to help you fix this line here. It's best to try to find a word yourself, but when that completely fails you, sometimes a rhyme-generator can become your best friend. Just don't become dependent on them, because then it becomes less of your own work. These should be used sparingly, only when your brain fails you.
6. Leave it be for at least a day. Don't think about it, don't read it, pretend it doesn't exist. Then go back to it with a fresh mind and you'll catch more.
Okay, 'tis late. That's all I can think of for now.
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Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:04 pm
awww it's only for poetry *(* where the fiction one ?
ooo ooo *waves his hand in the air Ecstatically* i wana do some.
5. Should your story feel odd in the manner of dialog and/or style, you should leave it alone for an hour or two and then come back to it. You're brain will be refreshed and you will now be able to look at your paper with a fresh perspective.
6. To ensure a realistic voice for your characters ( I.E. believable dialog.)
6.a) pay attention to conversations you've had during the day, or ones you can recall. Note all actions and word selections, and if you feel up to it, write down the conversation. This step is not necessary, but can be good practice if you feel the dialog in your stories is lacking.
6.b) should your dialog feel superfluous, circumlocutory, or just plain odd, follow rule five and then, if necessary, re-write it.
6.c) word selection varies with the person, place, and audience. dialog should adhere, rigidly, to the elements of the story and not just to what needs to be said.
6.d) The conventions of actual conversations can differ greatly from the fluent speech practiced in stories; but should not be taken into consideration while writing dialog. Lucid and well structured speech is more fluent and thus more pleasing for the reader. Just because people don’t usually speak with such clarity and structure doesn’t mean they're unable to.
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 8:31 pm
Here's a tip you can add:
If you have read your work and re-read it, sometimes its best to let a new pair of eyes go over it because after long enough you might miss things. So find someone who wouldn't mind reading your work and making notes of things that need to be edited.
My mom and my sister do this for me every now and then. Its very helpful.
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:34 pm
Your mind knows were the missing words go, say the sentence is "The cat laid out in the sun." and you wrote "The cat laid out in sun." Your mind will automaticaly put 'the' in the right place when you reading it to yourself. What I do is read the whole piece backwards to trick your mind and find the missing words.
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