Lost Page, Lost Diamond

by Marilyn Henderson

When you finish your novel it's time to self edit. This means a lot more than checking your spelling, grammar and punctuation. Vital as they are, that's the easy part. Even if these were not your favorite things in English class, , there are many good reference books you can consult or people you can hire to edit for you.

The hardest kind of self-editing for most writers is the story itself. After being immersed completely in your novel for months, it's tough to decide what needs to be cut or added. here are a few guidelines that will help.

First and foremost, every scene in your novel must have a purpose. Does each of yours move the plot forward or help build a character who is important to the action?

A stop at a quaint antique shop on a country road may be an interesting diversion when you are out for a sunday drive. If your heroine stops at that shop, however, something must happen while she's there to make the scene an integral part of the story. She may see someone watching her and suspect for the first time that she's being followed; or she may find something in her car later that wasn't there before she made that stop. Whatever happens must then cause more action in the story. Even if what happens seems insignificant at the time, the reader must learn its importance before the story ends.

Be careful not to let your emotional attachment to a scene influence your decision. Be objective and honest judging each scene. If that antique shop isn't part of the plot's cause and effect, or you can't define its purpose, it doesn't belong in the manuscript.

I use a test I call "Lost Page, Lost Diamond."

If this page were somehow lost before the editor began to read the manuscript, would the editor miss it? If she or he could read on and not feel that something was missing or not set up properly, the scene doesn't serbe a purpose and can be cut. If you can't decide, try reading the manuscript leaving out that scene. Can you define what's missing? Is there a "hole" that makes you wonder if you skipped over something?

Spotting lost diamonds is more difficult in self-editing just as it would be in a diamond mine. Diamonds don't always look like the valuable assets they are. You have to be able to see their potential in their rough form.

Lost diamonds usually take the form of things you should have set up earlier but didn't, or supplying information about someone or something that would make the story work better.

One way to hunt for lost diamonds is to examine "strangers" or minor characters in your story. Have you missed an opportunity to use them for a purpose that strengthens the plot? Another way is to casually drop information into dialogue that seems unimportant at the time but is significant later.

Another diamond often passed without a glance is a scene lacking emotions that would enrich, establish or hint at the relationship between characters. I learned this valuable technique from my editor back in my historical romance writing days.

"The emphasis in romance is on the sexual tension that builds between the two main characters," she told me.

In the scene where the two first crossed paths, I had concentrated on showing the action and barely hinted at any inner responses of either character. I had ignored the golden opportunity to set up the first sparks of what would become the heart of the story. The editor went through the scene with me and pointed out spots where an emotional reaction or thought would enhance the scene and start building the sexual tension it needed. Fifteen minutes later, I was a wiser annd very grateful writer who had just learned how to mine diamonds.

These two editing techniques are some of those invaluable ones writers need to master in order to cross the line from talented amateur to selling author. Writing a novel is hard work; selling it is even harder. Making sure your manuscript looks and sounds as professional as possible is vital to your chance of getting that sale instead of a rejection letter. Checking for lost pages and lost diamonds is part of the process. Begin looking now for any scenes that take up space without adding or moving your story forward and finding glints of precious gems you've passed by instead of using to advantage.

Self-edit like a pro to become one!

Marilyn Henderson, 42-year novelist, coach and mss critic. There's no substitute for experience. Let mine help you reach your dream goal.

eBk: Writing A Novel That Sells, beyond the basics
Email: marilyn@mysterymentor.com