Elisabeth Fairchild's Writing Tips

www.onceuponaromance.net


IS YOUR MANUSCRIPT READY TO SEND TO AN EDITOR?
A Checklist from Elisabeth Fairchild, author of Signet Regency Romances



Here are a few things every writer should ask themselves before sending off a manuscript: DOES THIS MEET GENRE EXPECTATIONS? IS YOUR ROMANCE ROMANTIC? YOUR MYSTERY MYSTERIOUS ENOUGH?

Genre readers have certain expectations. Did you deliver? Is the book fully realized? Is it a believable fictive reality? Did relationships develop convincingly? Is there emotional/situational tension? Is there a smooth sense of inevitability to the flow of the book?

FOCUS
Does your story focus on the main characters and their problems? complications? and resolutions? Has a secondary character(s), plot line or setting taken over where (he, she, it) shouldn't? Are you drowning in information dumps?

STORY DEVELOPMENT
The beginning- Does it grab? The middle- Does it sag or lose momentum? The ending- Was it worth reading the whole book, sticking with the characters through misunderstandings and conflict to get to the place, time and realizations that create the final moment? Is the plot believable? Compelling? Is there a recognizable theme? Does every scene further that theme? plot line? or character development? Any loose ends?

CONFLICT/PACING
Are your conflicts believable? Have you tested your characters with enough conflict to keep the pace of the book compelling? Do unnecessary flashbacks, blocks of description or explanatory dialogue bring the pace of the story screeching to a halt? Are conflicts resolved satisfactorily? Did the story start in the right place? Are you slowing the story with too much back-story?

CHARACTERS
Are the hero and heroine likeable? Does she/he have compelling reasons to fall in love with him/her? Are the main characters round? Are they consistent? Do they have a recognizable style/voice? Are his/her actions, reactions and changes or growth appropriate for their roles as her and heroine?

BACKGROUND
Is there a sense of time, place, mood and voice? Are the details authentic? Does the background overwhelm?

DIALOGUE
Do characters sound natural? Do they discuss what's important to your story? Are the voices consistent? Is there a balance of dialogue and narrative?

TECHNIQUE
Do the words flow? Are transitions smooth? Is the writing fresh, or cliché ridden? Are all five senses involved? Will the reader be swept up in the emotion, plot, and conflicts?

FORM
Is the MS double-spaced? Type easy to read? Courier typeface is most commonly used, with 25 lines per page, and 60 characters per line. Have you checked grammar, punctuation, and spelling? Is your presentation professional? on the MS? the synopsis? cover letter? query?

Writing Tips



HOW TO TIGHTEN FLABBY WRITING?
by Elisabeth Fairchild, author of Signet Regency Romances

TRIGGER WORDS HOW TO FIX THEM

SENTENCE BINDERS
and, for. Can a period be substituted to create two pithy sentences?

HESITANCY
Eliminate where possible: maybe, sometimes, slightly, kind of, a little, sort of, seemed

EMPTY PHRASES
Eliminate where possible: in a manner of speaking, in my opinion, last but not least, more or less, for the most part, nevertheless

EMPTY WORDS
that, kind, type, thing

PASSIVE VOICE
Eliminate where possible: White was worn by the bride.

HELPER VERBS
Eliminate where possible: was, has been, are being, could be
The bride was wearing white.
The bride wore white. (better)

AVOID REPETITIVE WORDS/THOUGHT PATTERNS
Trust your reader to get it the first time.
IE: circle around, the future to come, repeat again, return again, square in shape, important essentials, frank and honest

CLAUSES/PHRASES (beginning with)
Reduce where possible: of, with a, which was

WEAK VERBS
is, has, make, made
Energize with active verbs.

ATTRIBUTES
Can they be eliminated? he said, she said, asked, noticed, looked, appeared to be, seemed to be

JUNKY BEGINNINGS
Eliminate where possible when these words start a sentence: But, It is, Then, And

Overtelling Implied - She looked at him and saw
Meaning - He went to the door and opened it
She opened her mouth and said
Stage Directions - He crossed the room
She walked down the sidewalk



We appreciate Elisabeth's contribution to the writing tips at Once Upon A Romance.
Please, visit her website for more info. Click on the link below.
gimarc.com/fairchild.html



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