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 FORESHADOWING AND 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 s poetry