Writing tips from Texas author DiAnn Mills<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Polishing a writing project is an opportunity to make the finest work shine. This isn\u2019t a process to overlook or skim, but a conscientious effort to ensure every word, paragraph, and page is expertly crafted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When we believe a manuscript is complete, let the writing project sit for at least two weeks. If the work can rest longer, do so. This waiting time allows the writer to then view it through fresh eyes and edit more effectively. Now we\u2019re ready to shine it up.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Work through the following polishing tips:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Active Voice<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Strive to make sentences active. Remember \u201cas\u201d and \u201cing\u201d words tend to make a sentence <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

passive.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adverbs<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Use sparingly and not with dialogue tags.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do a global search in your manuscript for: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
• \u201cly\u201d with a space after it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
• \u201cly\u201d with a period after it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Avoid Clich\u00e9s<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Create your own metaphors and similes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Beginnings<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Strong hook.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Does your story begin with the lead character\u2019s name and his\/her current situation?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Chapter and Scene Hooks<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Does every chapter and scene begin and end with a hook?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Characterization<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Hero, heroine, or protagonist:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  What is it about them that you like or dislike?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Is there a positive and negative trait that is not yours?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  If you were to spend a vacation with the hero or heroine, what about them would appeal to <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  you?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Villain or antagonist: <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Is the character truly evil or badly behaved?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  What is the one trait that gives the antagonist redeeming quality?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Sol Stein states that no villain can attract victims unless he has charm, charisma, position, or <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  wealth.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Chronology<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Use a calendar to keep track of your chapters\u2019 timeline. http:\/\/calendarhome.com\/tyc\/#calendars<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Conflict and Tension<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                Include in every sentence.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Consistency<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Spelling Numbers – written or spelled out<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Cut Extra Words<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Be clear and concise.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Dialogue <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Clear and tight.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Punctuated correctly. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Do you need a tag?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Do you need a beat?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Emotional Conflict<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Have you made it your goal to have emotional conflict in every paragraph? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Every line?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Show emotions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Examine Plot<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Have you asked the four crucial questions about every chapter?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  1. What is the POV character\u2019s goal or problem to solve?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  2. What does the POV character learn that is new information?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  3. What backstory is revealed?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  4. How are the stakes raised?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Genre<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Have you written with a clear genre in mind?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  How do you want the story to \u201cfeel\u201d to the reader (creepy, brooding, inspirational, etc.)?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Grammar<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Invest in a grammar guide or English book.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Eliminate dangling participles.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Hyphen, En-Dash, and Em-Dash<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Learn the differences, application, and correctly type the proper punctuation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Consult publisher guidelines or The Chicago Manual of Style.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Plot<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Is it tight?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Are there no holes? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Loose threads?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Pronoun Preference<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Make sure the reader knows which noun the pronoun stands for.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Redundancy<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Avoid repeated phrases.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Don\u2019t insult the reader by telling more than once.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Click to get the PDF of these Polishing Tips by subscribing to DiAnn Mills\u2019s newsletter.<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Scenes<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Rate every scene in your book. Each one should propel the story forward, constantly <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  building conflict and tension.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Make sure the first and last lines in each scene are strong.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Smooth transitions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Sensory Perception<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Does each scene use all the senses?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Sentence Order<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Count the number of syllables: beans, cabbage, and tomatoes instead of huckleberries, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  pear, and a banana.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Count the number of words. He enjoyed green beans, deep-fried onion rings, and buttered <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  corn on the cob.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  If all the items have the same number of syllables, then consider their position in the alphabet.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  An exception to this is chronological order, obvious sequence, familiar sequence, and <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  unintended modifiers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Sometimes the way we are accustomed to hearing items in a list contradicts the above <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  guidelines. If the items in your list do not sound appropriate when you adhere to the above <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  rule, change them so they are acceptable. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Tea with lunch, dinner, and breakfast should be tea with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Cream and peaches should be peaches and cream. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  The bees and the birds (alphabetical sequence) should be the birds and the bees. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Gold, myrrh, and frankincense should be gold, frankincense, and myrrh.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Setting<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Research more than you think you will ever use.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Fictitious towns are best. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Map out your town ahead of time, filling in street names, residential, business, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Telling Words<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Think <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Know<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Understand<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Realize<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Believe<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Want<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Remember<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Imagine<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Desire<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Need<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Text to Voice Software<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Research software for what works best for you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Scrivener has text to voice.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  GhostReader is a text to voice app. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Vary Sentence Length<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Do the sentences have rhythm?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Weasel Words and Phrases<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Absolutely<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Actually<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  All of<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  All right<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  As a matter of fact<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  As being<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  As yet<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  At all times<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Basically, essentially<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Beginning sentences with \u201cThere\u201d or \u201cIt\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Being that<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Cell phone cliches: pull out, scroll across, hang up<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Completely <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Definitely<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  During the course of<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Each and every<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Extremely<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  For all intents and purposes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  For the most part<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  I mean<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  In order<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  In the process of<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Just<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Literally<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Okay<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Of course<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Point in time<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Pretty<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Quite<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Rather<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Really<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Shrugged<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Simply<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Smiled<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  So<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Some<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Somebody<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Somehow<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Someone<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Something<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Sometimes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Somewhat<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Somewhere<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Suddenly<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  That<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Then<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Thing<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Totally <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Up, down<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Very<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Which<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Word Choice<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  William Shakespeare said: \u201cSuit the action to the word, the word to the action.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Word Frequency Finder and Phrase Frequency Finder. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  http:\/\/www.writewords.org.uk\/word_count.asp<\/a>  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Unintended Modifiers<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Make sure all modifiers modify what is intended.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Online Resources:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Calendar<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Grammarly<\/a> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Scrivener<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  ProWritingAid<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  The Chicago Manual of Style<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

  Word and Phrase Frequency Counter<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Final notes: print the writing project and read line by line. Send to a beta reader(s). This isn\u2019t the writer\u2019s mother, sister, or close friend but a person who can give honest feedback. Read the project one last time before sending it to an agent or editor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

  Now relax. Tomorrow you can begin the next masterpiece.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n

   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Writing tips from Texas author DiAnn Mills<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1059,813,830,1135],"class_list":["post-2825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-diannmills","tag-lone-star-literary-life","tag-lonestarliterarycom","tag-texaswrites"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonestar.a1professionals.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}