Get Rid of the Mundane - Revision Tips for Authors

Too much mundane or routine bogs down your story. It slows the pacing, and it gives your reader a good place to stop. You don’t want that. You want them to read past their bedtimes.

Here are a few hints that I’ve learned from some great editors through the years.

Back Story - Avoid too much back story or history. People get confused about the timeframe. It it’s important, weave it into to your story.

Data Dump - Get rid of data dumps of descriptions when you introduce characters. Pick one or two interesting things to share. Sprinkle the rest in later. You don’t need to tell their entire life story when they first appear.

Chitchat - Cut the chitchat. Make sure your dialogue gives your readers insight to your characters and moves the story along. All of the “Hi, how are you? It’s nice to meet you. I am fine. Thank you for asking. How are you? It’s a lovely day. Yes, I love the weather. Would you like to sit down” needs to go.

Telling Parts - Get rid of the “telling” parts. Show your reader how the character feels. Use dialogue and action. Don’t have long sections of play-by-play commentary like a sports announcer.

Unnecessary Dialogue Tags - Remove any unnecessary dialog tags. The reader needs to know who is talking, but you don’t need to put “she said” after every part that is spoken.

Dump the Mundane - Cut the mundane, every day tasks. We all know how to tie our shoes or make a sandwich. Only include these when it’s key to the story. We don’t need to see your character’s entire trip for groceries or all his morning grooming habits.

Take an Umbrella - Please get rid of the lengthy weather reports. You can show us that it’s raining without long paragraphs that make you sound like the guy on the six o’clock news.

Watch Your Endings - Don’t wrap up all your chapters neatly with the character going to bed. That gives the reader an excuse to stop there, too. Add some suspense. You want them to keep turning pages.

Captain Obvious - Don’t tell the reader about the character’s feelings. Show it in her action, reaction, or dialogue.

The Uncle Bob Syndrome - When two characters are talking about someone else, make sure their references match the situation and how they would refer to the person. For example, if two sisters are talking about their Uncle Bob, they would probably call him that. They wouldn’t say, “Susie, remember Bob Jones, our rich uncle who left us that huge inheritance?”

What else would you add to my list?