![]() If you stop to edit at this point, the read-through will take too long. Just make a marginal note (or use Word’s “comment” feature) to add the glasses. For example, if one of your characters wears reading glasses, and you notice there’s a scene where she’s reading without them, don’t stop to fix the scene right then. Focus on the big picture and save the small stuff for later. So in your first read, you are mainly looking for these two major elements, Character and Plot, and how they work together to create the Story. I learned it from John Gardner, who uses it in The Art of Fiction to describe a plot that comprises “a sequence of causally related events.” The word literally means to flow forth like a river. Profluent is an excellent word that not enough writers know. You need both sympathetic characters and a profluent plot to create an engaging story. ![]() You’re looking to see that the major story elements are in place.Įvery editor and writer has their own definition of “story.” Mine is this: On this first read-through, you’re not looking for typos or other small errors. How will this story look to someone who hasn’t been living with it for years? Photo © Izabela Habur ![]() The goal is to put yourself in the reader’s place. Others load the document on an e-reader or tablet to get away from the computer. Some writers print their manuscripts on three-hole-punched paper and put them in three-ring binders. At your local office supply and copy center, you can have your manuscript printed double-sided and spiral bound, to recreate the feeling of reading a book. Do this in whatever way is comfortable for you. Read through your novel as quickly as possible to get a feel for the story. Now that you’ve taken some time off from your manuscript, you can approach it as a reader would.
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