While trying to edit the second half of my manuscript, I have stumbled upon some very clumsy writing. Unfortunately, with this particular scene in the book, I have to be anything BUT clumsy. I've hit a wall. I'm not sure how to accurately describe what is happening, although I have every detail in my head.
Have you ever had this happen? How do you fix it?
3 comments:
Take that section aside (in your head) and try to rewrite it from scratch? Is it a big chunk? Sometimes it's easier to start over than to fix what's there. A friend of mine once bought me this box of writer-inspiration cards, which had different idea for starting writing exercises. Maybe you can try a few of those things, like telling that part of the story in reverse, telling it from a different POV (just to get you thinking about it differently, since you don't want to change your POV mid-story, of course). Is it the place where your story comes to a crescendo? where The Point is revealed? That can be a hard part to write, because you have to strike a balance between letting the reader have her own ah-ha moment and making sure you create the space for her to have it without belaboring it. I'll look for my writers' cards that I was describing and see if I can come up with some ideas for you!
Huh. Maybe try some different ways to write it. Is it internal narrative or action? Is it needed, even?
Sometimes my writing seems horrible. I have to set it to the side until I'm out of that mood.
Good luck fixing it! It will fix, just experiment. Jenny seems to have some great suggestions.
Rewrite every sentence until it sings to you or else you wont be happy. It might takes five or six edits. Perhaps not the news you were looking for. Better yet ask the characters to solve it for you ;)
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