November 26, 2008

I won’t be commenting on my NaNoWriMo status until next Monday when it’s officially over, but I’ve received a few emails from NaNo people who are writing their first novels. As the month draws to a close, they’ve realized with horror that December is coming–with revisions!

“What do I do with this mess?” I was asked. Your rambling rough draft needs to be reworked, but where do you start? “Is there a checklist somewhere I can follow?” another writer asked. I came across such a checklist last week in James Cross Giblin’s The Giblin Guide to Writing Children’s Books.

Jim Giblin spent 30 years as a children’s book editor and publisher (the last 22 as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at Clarion Books.) He has also written 25+ highly acclaimed books of his own. In his book for writers, the sixth chapter lays it all out for you: “Common Failings in Juvenile Fiction–and How to Correct Them.”

The chapter talks about ten different things to look for, both the problems to spot and how to fix them. The topics to revise range from dull openings and unvarying mood to holes in the plot, many dialogue issues, and weak entrances/exits. If you take your messy rough draft and apply Giblin’s 10-point checklist for fiction, you’ll have an organized and methodical way to tackle each area.

Yesterday I also read a great blog article on what to do if your scene seems trivial (besides giving it the ax, that is.) I found help here with a chapter of my own that had some sagging scenes. It’s called “Away with the Trivial Scene.”

We all have favorite ways to create rough drafts, and we all revise differently as well. What ways work best for you when tackling a first revision?

4 Comments »

1. 

   Hi Kristi,

   As usual, another wonderful, informative column. As a long time published writer of nonfiction books for children I will be ordering Giblin’s Guide. It sounds very interesting.

   Thanks and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

   Steve

   Comment by Steven Richards — November 26, 2008 @ 7:38 pm

2. 

   Thanks, Steve! You’ll love Giblin’s book for your nonfiction writing too–lots of good chapters dealing with nonfic. And, of course, he’s written nonfiction books that keep getting one major award after another. Besides being a really, really nice guy, he knows his stuff!

   You have a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
   Kristi

   Comment by Kristi Holl — November 26, 2008 @ 9:42 pm

3. 

   Hi,

   I took a children’s writing class at the University I work for and they used the Giblin book as the text. Great book!

   Thanks Kristi for your wonderful insight on writing!

   Penny

   Comment by Penny — November 27, 2008 @ 2:27 pm

4. 

   Thanks, Penny. Yes, I found his book one of the easiest to understand and, therefore, very practical. I love practical help!
   Kristi

   Comment by Kristi Holl — November 27, 2008 @ 5:49 pm

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