Novel Pruning

Just like shrubs and bushes need to be cut back in order to help new growth to develop, sometimes the same needs to happen with the stories we write. Our novels must be pruned. Today I’m centering in on four ways we can snip away at our work. By taking time during edits to cut the following, we are in turn creating a healthier story.

Characters

It’s tempting to think every character we’ve invited into the story must stay. But our work isn’t Hotel California. They can leave after they’ve checked out and sometimes it’s our job as the author to evict them.

Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a character needs to stay or go…

Does this individual reveal anything important in this book? Does the character feel like an awkward third wheel in most scenes? Do you, as the author, know enough about this character to support them playing a role in the story? And probably the most important question, does this character move the plot along in any essential way?

Scenes

It happens quite often as an author that I’ll hear conversations between my characters and then I’ll rush to capture them on the page. They feel important. They sound good. But I’ve spent enough time constructing novels and tearing them apart to realize there are times those conversations aren’t meant to be included in the book word for word. Sometimes they are just meant to reveal something deeper about a character, to help me get better acquainted.

Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a scene needs to stay or go…

Am I bored while reading this scene? Is this scene sticking out like a sore thumb? Are the events that occur in this scene part of an already flowing, fluid plot? Is this scene too contrived? Finally, does the particular scene do its job to move the plot forward?

Words

Ask the editor I’ve hired for several books and she’ll tell you I’m a fan of stuffing multiple words in a sentence where only one—the best word—is needed. I’ve been learning to hack away at superfluous words. Words that in my head sound descriptive, but on the page come across clunky.

Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a word needs to stay or go…

Have I selected the best word in this sentence? Am I over-describing this? Does this word paint the most vivid picture for the reader? Does this word feel a bit like a rock climber dangling from a cliff? Is this word necessary to the sentence?

Dead Descriptions

I also sharpen my pruning shears when it comes to the cousin of unnecessary words, dead descriptions. You’d be surprised how many flowery corpses I encounter while reading (and even when going through early drafts of some of my books).

Some questions to ask in order to discern whether a description needs to stay or go…

Am I distracting the reader from the story with these details? Have I overdone it? Does the scene feel crowded or as though it’s bulging in a certain spot when upon further reflection you realize nothing is really happening? Do the descriptions better help the reader to understand a character or the setting? Am I leaving a certain section in because I love the way it sounds and not because it serves a purpose that involves moving the story forward?

What’s the hardest part about pruning your novel as you edit?

*Taking next week off. Catch you back here one week from today.

Six Qualities that Entice Me to Read More

By this point you probably know that I’m a writer. But did you know I’m also an avid reader? I try to keep track of everything I read on Goodreads but each month I miss a few.

I’m not afraid to start a book and 10, 20, even 50 pages later, put it down.

I thought I’d share with you today the qualities I find in the books that keep me reading all the way until the end.

{Warning…I’m about to do a ton of name dropping—or make that title dropping in this post.}

Fascinating Characters

Immediately Mudbound and The Poisonwood Bible come to mind. Such expert delineation of multiple voices in these works.

I also got quickly attached to the characters in Belong to Me. Introduce me to a curious, engaging, or witty character, likeable or maybe not so likeable, to start and I’m hooked.

Plot That’s Going Somewhere

Stories like Defending Jacob and Sister had me turning pages faster than my fingers could move. A strong plot has an exceptional pull that’s nearly impossible to resist.

Rich Concept

Uh…The Giver, anyone? I have no idea what took me so long to read this wonder of a book, but the moment I finished the last page I felt like I stumbled upon a majestic treasure. I felt thrilled the rest of the world had the opportunity to be in on it and in a strange way sad. The Gollum in me wanted to stroke the book and say, “Mine, all mine.”

I also enjoyed The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. The conceit for this book was right up my alley. A sheer delight of a book (liked it so much I recommended it as my choice for one of my book clubs).

Make Me Feel

Give me at least one character I can empathize with, someone I want to root for and I’m all yours. Front cover to the last words of the acknowledgements.

I adored Swede in Peace Like a River and felt a strong sense of empathy for Victoria in The Language of Flowers. The authors of these books succeeded and then some in making their stories come alive.

Emotional Depth

Go deep or go home. I’m not much of a fluff reader. I just don’t have the patience for it. When I’m reading a book, I also want to experience it. I crave for it to instigate reflection. Marley & Me and The Art of Racing the Rain tugged and tugged hard. Not just because the main characters were hooked to leashes throughout the pages, but because these stories tapped into the great feelings of being a pet owner, a mom, and a human being.

Seamless Flow + Word Choice

Jamming two in one. I know, guilty as charged. But there’s something to be said for a novel when you forget you’re reading—when you’re so swept up in the story world you’ve metaphorically crawled inside the book to nest for as long as it takes to finish it. An almost musical, carefully worded flow can accomplish this. Word choice matters. This is why The Book Thief won my heart and Night by Elie Wiesel. And I still remember powerful lines from Water for Elephants.

A magnificent novel finds a way to take each of the above and knead it into a miraculous ball of dough that balloons into the unforgettable.

*Fun announcement ~ Enter my Goodreads Giveaway for THEDELICATE NATURE OF LOVE for a chance to win a signed copy. Enter by March 1^st!

To The Mean Girl Who . . .

I wanted to unleash my inner kraken when I heard what a girl said to my middle schooler on her birthday recently. I seriously slipped into pummel mode. Eventually, I eased off to evaluate the scenario from an outsider perspective. Because any mom knows the bear claws come out quickly when it comes to our own kids.

My kid was excited it was her birthday. She’s sensitive and not one given to bragging, but she mumbled something during gym about being pumped to open her gifts when she got home. Rude girl asked why. My daughter told her it’s her birthday to which the girl replied, “Who cares?”

Later this same girl found a convenient time to tell my daughter that she’s stupid. She knew it was her birthday. Nice, huh?

It might help for you to know my daughter struggles to say a mean word about anyone. But I’m also teaching her not to let people walk on her.

Words go deep. When are we all going to get this?

As I wrestled with this situation an image of a Nazi kept popping in my head. I’m not comparing the mean girl to a Nazi (not exactly, anyway). However, I think there’s a slippery slope when you begin to allow yourself to be that desensitized, that heartless—careless toward others.

Of course I felt sorry for this girl. I played the potentials in my mind. Maybe she feels like no one cares about her. Maybe she’s jealous. And all that jazz. But herein lies the issue. A sign of maturity and growth is when you feel rotten about your own circumstances and can still conjure joy for others. It’s amazing how the ability to do that changes you inside. I’m not expecting this middle schooler to be mature. But I do think she should be held accountable for her words.

It’s worth it to choose our words wisely. They have the ability to leave such an impression.

To build up or tear down.

I know I’ll let this go, chalk it up for childish rude girl behavior. And most likely my daughter will, too. But some words sink. And I’ll never know for sure whether these particular words have anchored somewhere in my kid’s conscience.

That makes me sad. And frustrated that we live in a world of such flippant sarcasm and thoughtlessness. And it reminds me of all the ways I don’t want to act toward others.

To the mean girl who unleashed your self-rot on my kid, you’re forgiven. But I also hope you change. I hope you grapple with the things you spew with little thought. Because the world has its fill of insensitivity and cruelty. We need something different.

Huh, guess my own version of the kraken snuck out after all.

 

*picture = free stock photo

**daughter gave me permission to post this