I finished writing another novel yesterday. I\u2019ve spent a good part of a week, many hours each day, carefully going over and over it to make sure it rings true to my readers.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s truth in fiction? Oh yes. Readers want believable characters, consistency in elements of your story, true-to-life plots and a storyline that follows some sense of reality. Without these things, a reader will lose faith in you and your story. If the car is red in one scene and blue in another, you\u2019d better write in the fact that they took the car in for a paint job. If the main character lives in an apartment at the beginning of the story and later resides in a two-story mansion, there\u2019d better be a good explanation for that. Likewise, if the pet is a brown dog that somehow transforms into a white cat, make sure it is either because the dog ran away and they adopted a cat or witchcraft is involved.<\/p>\n
Self-editing is an interesting process. I generally go through my completed manuscript looking for any mistakes that jump off the pages\u2014misplaced apostrophes, repeated words and terms, misuse of words, etc. Then I read it for inconsistencies\u2014a character\u2019s name is Jim in the first few chapters and suddenly changes to Tim, for example.<\/p>\n
I read it over for improbabilities. In other words, things that probably could or would not happen the way I wrote it to. Would a motorcycle reach speeds of 60 MPH within a city block? At what point would a sheriff\u2019s deputy turn over a case to an investigator? How long would a cat stay alive without food and water?<\/p>\n
I look at it for language, being careful to attribute phrases and terms to the characters who are most likely to use that particular language. I also check the way quotes are presented. There is a comma after \u201che said,\u201d or \u201cshe raised her hand and stated,\u201d when it precedes dialog. There is a period after phrases such as, \u201cshe laughed,\u201d \u201cSondra stood and turned to face him,\u201d and \u201che slumped in his chair,\u201d when it precedes dialog.<\/p>\n
Oh yes, there are many things to look at even after you\u2019ve finished writing that magnificent novel. And after you\u2019ve checked it over dozens and maybe dozens more times, you need to turn it over to a book editor. I hire a proofreader and I generally involve random readers who know fiction and have a good eye.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re curious about my fiction\u2014I just started writing it about a year and a half ago and I\u2019ve produced 2 light mysteries involving cats for Kindle. They are, Catnapped <\/i>\u00a0and Cat-Eye Witness. <\/i>Both of them are part of my Klepto Cat Mystery series. Check them out here: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/Klepto-Cat-Mysteries\/index.html<\/a><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to read my comments, resources and advice beyond this blog, sign up today to receive my bi-monthly newsletter, Publishing\/Marketing News and Views. <\/i>http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I finished writing another novel yesterday. I\u2019ve spent a good part of a week, many hours each day, carefully going over and over it to make sure it rings true to my readers. There\u2019s truth in fiction? Oh yes. Readers want believable characters, consistency in elements of your story, true-to-life plots and a storyline that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t