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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/502-.html
Horror/Scary: July 20, 2005 Issue [#502]

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Horror/Scary


 This week:
  Edited by: terrilee
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter


Welcome to another edition of the horror/scary newsletter. Your editor this week is terrilee


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Write It, Then Write It Again. Editing and Revising Your Work



         The best writers on the planet are often the ones who revise and edit the most, because no one, (not even Stephen King), writes a perfect story the first time out. Editing and revision are what turn a good story into a great story.

         Editing isn't a skill everyone has, often you must submit your work to someone else to read, because you just aren't able to be as objective about your work as you need to be. That's why editors exist. They can be objective about your writing when you can't, and they are trained to spot writing flaws and mistakes.

         However, just because you don't have an editor, that doesn't mean you can't learn to think like one and learn to edit your own work.

         Put your story away for a few days or weeks after you write it, then, when you go back to edit and revise it, it's far easier to catch all those little errors that creep into everyone's writing.

         A good editing tip is to read your story out loud, thus you'll find you can "hear" words or sentences that just don't sound right.

         Watch out for typos in your writing too. They tend to become invisible to the writer after awhile, at least in their own writing.

         It seems that many writers, myself included, have a few words or phrases that seem to creep into nearly every piece they write. If you discover a lot of similiar sentences in your stories, get ruthless, eliminate them from each story.

         Avoid cliches. Cliches suck. Cliches make your writing seem stale and trite. Put more thought into being original. Maybe it really was a dark and stormy night, but can you find a way to write, it was a dark and stormy night, that is different and unique to you?

         Watch for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. If you're not good at these elements of writing, find someone who is to read your story and help you with them. And then, if you're really serious about being a good writer, educate yourself. You can learn how to punctuate, how to spell, and all about grammar too. There are classes, books, and online sources to help you with any aspect of writing.

         Active nouns are better than adjectives, so go through any story you've written and replace those tired old adjectives with descriptive nouns. Your writing will sound and look much sharper and clearer if you do this.

         Beginning writers tend to write "about" the story, rather than starting right out in the middle of the action. Try throwing away your first page, and see if that helps your story.

         A good plot, strong characters, and a dramatic and surpring ending, are all important elements of a great horror story. Your editing should also work on any of these elements that aren't working. Sometimes whole characters need to be eliminated, or different elements of the story moved around. Watch out too, for pages of description that add nothing to the suspense of your story, but, instead bore your reader and maybe even make them stop reading. You can't afford that.

         Endings are vital. In horror fiction they are often surpring, or in some way NOT the typical happy ending of other writing genres. How does your ending stack up? Is it satisfying? Predictable? What? If it needs re-written to make it better, do it. Your story deserves a great ending to match that great beginning paragraph you wrote.

         Write your story. Don't edit your writing now, just let it come out the way it wants to, the way you want and need to tell your story. Put it away for a few days, then go back to it. Don't beat yourself up for all the mistakes or flaws you find, but do take the time to do a thorough editing job. You put a lot of time and effort into writing your story, and now it needs the finishing work. Polish it up, get it nice and shiny, and then pat yourself on the back for a job well done.


Some editing help:
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#974658 by Not Available.

 Revising Paragraphs & Organization Open in new Window. (E)
Paragraphs, organization and outlines it explains it all with examples.
#927416 by Holly Abidi Author IconMail Icon

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#923942 by Not Available.

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#920422 by Not Available.

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#990993 by Not Available.








Editor's Picks

         There are some excellent writers of horror fiction, and I wanted to share some folders in the horror genre that I think you'll enjoy reading:

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#818013 by Not Available.

 The Monster Logs Open in new Window. (13+)
Shadows, Darkness, Eye of Bat, Some of this and Some of that..
#841326 by Jaimesen Chayse Author IconMail Icon

 Inactive Activites Open in new Window. (ASR)
Activities not currently open.
#937421 by spidey Author IconMail Icon

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This item number is not valid.
#951986 by Not Available.

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This item number is not valid.
#968622 by Not Available.

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This item number is not valid.
#918614 by Not Available.

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This item number is not valid.
#984790 by Not Available.

 Chasm of Chaos Open in new Window. (13+)
My folder for when the bumps in the night stalk you.
#876965 by Enchantress MysticJoy Author IconMail Icon

 Dark Fantasy & Horror Open in new Window. (18+)
I love a good, scary story...
#868382 by chimpy121 Author IconMail Icon

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This item number is not valid.
#852012 by Not Available.



 
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Ask & Answer

This weeks question:

Do you have any special tips for editing horror fiction?


Have a great summer everyone, and watch out for all those creatures in the forest...

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