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REVISING WRITING. Creating images, emotions, and voice with your words. USE STRONG VOCABULARY. Have your vocabulary list at your side -use words when they are appropriate, not if they stick out. Use a thesaurus to eradicate repetition not to sound sophisticated
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REVISING WRITING Creating images, emotions, and voice with your words
USE STRONG VOCABULARY • Have your vocabulary list at your side -use words when they are appropriate, not if they stick out. • Use a thesaurus to eradicate repetition not to sound sophisticated • stay away from empty words that convey no image: pretty, beautiful, nice
GRAB THE READER • Create catchy, cool first line to entice reader. • End with conscious power. • Create a believable, clear voice.
CREATE SCENES NOT SUMMARIES • Use believable dialogue. Stay away from “said.” • use all senses to pull reader into the scene • Show don’t tell: details, details, details!
ADD DESCRIPTION! • Infuse writing with detailed adjectives and adverbs. • Create novel metaphors and similes - these clever comparisons make the reader visualize. • Use specific concrete images that you could photograph, not vague or abstract ones. • Use as many senses as possible.
ALTER SENTENCE STRUCTURE FOR FLUIDTY • Look at all sentence beginnings. Start with prep. phrase, adv., adj., participial phrases, and adv. clause for change in structure. • Change length of sentences: some complex, some very short for emphasis.
CHECK ALL VERBS • Omit all boring verbs: went, come... • seek verbs that create images: trudge, clamber, undulate, grope, wriggle, simmer • cooking verbs are often descriptive and metaphoric: dice, blend, percolate, slice...
KNOW YOUR CHARACTER • Be able to give a clear visual description - weave the details in through dialogue and narrative • Know what clothes your character would wear, what s/he would eat for breakfast, for a snack… • Know what your character’s strengths and weaknesses are
USE FORESHADOWINGAND SYMBOLISM • Think about clever names for characters that might reveal something about them • Plant seeds if something bad is going to happen through weather, dialogue, use of color, etc. • Use seasons and weather symbolically • Choose Biblical references: rains to wash away sins or evil, gardens as innocent, etc.
POINT OF VIEW • Consciously choose a point of view: first person, third person, or third person limited • Try changing it after you finish to see which point of view creates a stronger piece
CHOOSE FORMAT • Think about alternative ways of telling the story: • letters • newspaper articles • e-mails • poetry