Our October event led by Emma Dryden, former Vice President
and Publisher of Atheneum Books for Young Readers and Margaret K. McElderry Books, was an afternoon packed full of revision tips and techniques.
From using highlighters to track your character’s
wants or backstory to changing the font or size of type to trick yourself into
seeing something differently to boiling down your synopsis from 10 pages to one
sentence are a few examples of Emma’s revision tips.
She discussed creating a character purpose list. Every
character in your story needs a reason to be there. If too many characters only
serve one function, combine some of them together.
Comb through your manuscript looking for repeated
words or phrases — change or delete them, remove stage directions, look for
several adjectives in a row and pick the best one or replace them with more efficient prose. Check the last line in every scene, does it
make the reader want to keep reading?
These are only a handful of Emma's revision techniques, I can't possibly list them all. I left with four pages of notes and a stack of handouts (40 pages!). Emma was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, personable and generous.
These are only a handful of Emma's revision techniques, I can't possibly list them all. I left with four pages of notes and a stack of handouts (40 pages!). Emma was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, personable and generous.
Thank you, Emma, for making our fall event successful and enjoyable, too!
Visit Emma's blog, Our stories, Ourselves, and her website www.drydenbks.com
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| Emma Dryden |
