One of the most common questions I get is "Do you have any tips for rewriting?" That's because when we've written a screenplay or novel it's really hard to be objective about it.
I've written about this before, but I thought I'd add a few tips offered by the late copywriting great, Ted Nicholas.
He was referring to writing copy, but I've added notes for how these tips can be just as helpful with fiction:
- Outline what you want to say before writing a word. [I don't necessarily believe you have to know the entire story, but I think it's really helpful to know where you're headed with it.]
- Write your first draft as quickly as possible without worrying about being perfect.
- Start strong. Finish strong. Rewrite your first sentence and last paragraph. They are crucially important. [For scripts and novels, I'd change this to your first scene and your last scene.]
- Vary the paragraph length. Similar length paragraphs and sentences can bore the reader. Sprinkle in a few one-word paragraphs. [For fiction writers, I advise checking that your dialogue includes the kinds of variations in length and tone that make it realistic. Also, see whether you have used subtext effectively--after all, what a character doesn't say often is as revealing as what they do say.]
- Let your work breathe between rewrites.
