Rewrite

Not much blogging being done lately - but masses of writing - honest!

I am overhauling my novel big time at the moment following advice from my writing buddy and that shown in 'Write a Blockbuster' - mentioned in my last blog.   My novel falls foul mainly because of wordy over description and not applying the 'show don't tell' rule (because until now I've not really understood what it means!)

I've written a science fiction novel so there is a lot to explain but I see now the importance of giving the reader bits of information, so they can use their own imagination to build a picture.  I don't have to tell them everything.  That way the novel becomes personal to them. 

I now understand the 'show don't tell' term - it can take a little while to grasp but I realise in many of my action scenes I'm relating something back to the reader rather that taking them right to the action and making them part of it - this is what makes a book come to life. 
I have been impatient to finish and get my MS off to agents quickly but there's no point until that MS is the best it can be - until the words leap out of the page, grab an agent by the balls and scream, "GET ME PUBLISHED."

Characterisation

Many thanks to my good friend Fi for recommending "Write a Blockbuster and Get it Published" by Helen Corner and Lee Weatherly.  Already I can see it's going to help me to give my novel more depth and quality. 

Currently I am working on getting to know my characters to make them real and three dimensional.  Today I began writing my character questionnaires; listing everything I possibly could about my main character, from her full name and physical appearance to her childhood and her hopes and fears.  I know her pretty well, after all the novel is in first person so I'm "in the head" of my main protagonist so to speak - in some ways she is me.  Some answers I gave did surprise me though.

I think the secondary characters will be much harder because I have spent more time on thinking what they do rather than who they are.  However when I am more aware of who they are I will know why they do what they do, if you get my drift! 

I am already thinking about scenes in the book that this knowledge of my characters is going to enhance.  The reader will be able to identify, sympathise and  understand them more.