10 Easy Revision Hacks to Make Your Manuscript Shine
Photo by Ivana Cajina on Unsplash
As I’m going through my manuscript, even though it’s just the last draft before I send it off to readers, I’m getting nit-picky about the little things. The thing is, the “little things” are the ones that really make the difference between a polished manuscript and one that misses the mark on a lot of levels.
Of course, use spelling and grammar check. But also realize they may not pick up everything. A word can be spelled correctly but have an incorrect meaning in that context (I consistently wrote “tine” instead of “tone” below). Grammarly is good, but it can also result in dull prose. It measures clarity and readability, which is good, but especially for fiction, it has no filter for the all-important “voice” that makes your story sing.
The following are 10 easy edits to make your manuscript shine. You may find some of the them obvious, but I’ve seen them all in client work – and in my own!
Read it aloud – This may feel embarrassing, but actually hearing the words aloud alerts you to all kinds of awkward phrasing, clunky dialogue, too-long passages where nothing happens, etc. Try it. You will be astonished. Related is to print out the manuscript and read it on the page. I know, you may be worried about the waste of paper, but again, you will see things on the printed page you simply skim over on a screen, especially when it comes to the little things.
Get rid of filler words – These include: that, just, so, very, really, basically, etc. Also: avoid cliches like the plague. We’ve read them so often they have become meaningless.
Think about Tone – Especially on a long-form project, you may find, on a reread, that your tone changed over the course of the writing. Of course, sometimes tone changes according to the scene: humorous, tense, etc. But if it’s all over the place, or you tend to use an elevated tone when you should be using something more casual, you need to be aware of that and make adjustment, even if it means “killing your darlings.”
Check your vocabulary, including word choice appropriate to character and age; and slang – These are also related to tone. To make your characters memorable, let them have different speech patterns, and vocabulary appropriate to their age, educational level, etc. Deviations may make the character stand out, but don’t forget to explain why the character’s communication style is unusual. It should tell us something important about the character. Also remember slang words date your manuscript. What sounds cool and hip now will sound very dated in a few years’ time. If you're writing historical fiction then you can sprinkle in a few for authenticity’s sake.
Avoid passive voice – The bread was made by hand by the baker. The story was told to me by my father. The necklace was given to me by grandmother. Yes, the word “by” is a clue. When you see it, it often indicates passive voice. Change these to active voice for an instant shot of verve: The baker made the bread by hand. (See? A good use of “by,” although you could say “hand-made.”) My father told me the story. My grandmother gave me the necklace.
Choose your dialogue tags – Almost always, just using “said” is the right choice. Let the person’s actions, expressions, and vocabulary tell the reader what’s going on. Occasionally, another word might be used: “Fire!” he yelled. But this should be rare and judicious.
Break up paragraphs - Whether reading online or not, there is no longer much of an appetite for long dense paragraphs. Use paragraphing consciously: Shorter paragraphs can add tension, suspense, surprise etc.
She crept toward the door, positive she’d heard a noise. The flashlight’s dim glow wavered, casting all but a tiny area into deep shadow. She moved slowly, trying not to breathe too loud, or to step on that always-creaky section of floor. Ariel finally reached the door and slowly turned the handle.
Something brushed her leg.
She screamed and stumbled back. Nearly hyperventilating with relief, she realized it was the cat. Again.
8. Be aware of punctuation. Don’t overuse exclamation points, or em dashes, or semicolons, or anything that “tells” the emotion. Let the word choice (tone, vocabulary, etc.) dictate the emotion you want to convey. Some writers, of course, will use a form of punctuation for deliberate effect, or as an experimental technique. Be very careful if you go this route, as it can backfire and render your prose simply annoying.
9. Don’t overuse adverbs or adjectives – Steven King, in his book On Writing, said, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Almost always, you would be better off using a stronger verb than modifying it with an adverb. Instead of “He walked slowly,” say, “He plodded.” I would say, use them sparingly. Do a search in your document for all the words ending in “-ly” and see if you can find a stronger way to say the same thing. Even adjectives can be overused. Adjectives should be like jewels: a few, properly placed, make the sentence sparkle. Too many, and the reader’s mind is too dazzled and doesn’t know where to put the attention.
10. Use strong verbs – This is related to not using too many adverbs or adjectives, but here I’m talking about not over-relying on weak verbs. This includes forms of to be, to have, to come, to make, to go, to see, to get, etc. Again, not every use is wrong. But if too many of your verbs are weak, your whole story sounds weak and wimpy. Weak verbs tend to “tell” while strong verbs “show” by putting us in the middle of the action. (The one exception is using the word “said” in dialogue tags, when we want to slide right over the attribution and keep our mind on the content of the conversation.) Example: The little girl held the kitten. Vs. The little girl cradled the kitten. Or, The little girl grasped the kitten by the scruff of its neck. You can instantly see which is more vivid, which gives us more information about the relationship between the little girl and the kitten, even without a word being said.
If you go through your manuscript carefully, you will see many instances of the above issues. The point isn’t to take the personality out of your writing, but to make all of your words do their strongest work, to make your prose the best it can be. Yes, it can be tedious. Not the most fun part for any writer! But the rewards are worth it once you see the difference. You’ll notice – and so will your readers.
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