Top 5 Most Important Editing Points

Hey, so here’s the start of my series of blogs/vlogs on editing your novels! I thought I’d start off with a check list of the most important things you need to check for in your work. It’s so important that you get these things right, as these are the basics of a novel that you have to get right in order to get anywhere else.

11)      Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. That’s an obvious one really, because spelling and grammar are very important things. Spelling should be relatively easy thanks to spell check, but grammar is a bit harder to deal with, but there’s a few things you can do to help yourself out. One is to read your work allowed to yourself, speaking and reading engages different parts of the brain, so you pick up more mistakes if you’re reading aloud. It sounds nuts, I know, but it actually works. I’ve done it before, and have had it recommended by several tutors so I know it works a treat.  And two, you can use a website called Hemingway, which checks through your work and clearly highlights sentences that need improving. I’ve used it loads and it works great.

22)      Check your story for coherency. Make sure that your story makes sense and that it is easy to understand. I’m not saying you can’t have a convoluted plot, if you want that, go for it, but you have to make it easy to understand, or you will lose your readers. Make sure that you’ve explained your plot fully in your story as you’ve gone along, and not suddenly including an important element with no explanation as to how it got there.

33)      Make sure you have tied up all loose ends. Unless you’re writing a series and are planning on tying up loose ends in a further book, all the fragments of the story have to come together to make sense by the end. Go through and make a list of all your plot points, and check off each thing you resolve and see if you have anything left over by the end. If you do, you’re probably going to have to go back and resolve that point somewhere. Obviously, if you’re planning a series out, you can resolve plot points in a further book, but make sure that by the end of the series you have actually done that. As for one off books, then you have to resolve all plot points or you’re going to anger a lot of readers, as they will want answers.

44)      Make sure you’re consistent. If you’ve started writing in first person, make sure you’ve stayed in first person throughout, unless you have a specific reason to change it. Check to make sure your characters physical attributes are consistent and haven’t suddenly changed for no reason, make sure you’ve kept to the same tense throughout (a flashback/memory is mostly where a change from present to past tense is allowed, everything else should be in the same tense). All of these things are really important, and you have to make sure you have kept everything like that the exact same way throughout the novel, unless there’s reason for things to change. If there’s no need for things to suddenly jump from present to past tense, then make sure you’ve stayed in the original tense.

55)      Keep your story line on the right track. You have to be certain that you’ve kept to your story line from the beginning until the end. A story is going to go nowhere if your character starts off trying to find their parents at the beginning, and ends up battling demons by the end, unless they have been drawn into doing that while on their original quest. If they’ve completed their original quest and have had to go on another straight away, fair enough, but you have to make sure that that original quest has come to completion by the end.

It’s all about consistency people; every single thing has to be consistent and kept on a similar path. And yes, editing is boring, I know. But it’s an incredibly important part of the writing process, and will be the thing that sharpens your story into the incredible epic it can be. The editing is so, so important, and you have to check for these things and change anything that is wrong, or your novel won’t go anywhere.

If you guys have anything else you check for when you’re editing your stories, please comment below, I’ll add anything to this main post, or start a new one, so we can create one massive checklist of editing! 

Get To Know My Reading Habits!

Well hey there, it's been a while! Christmas and New Years wiped me out, and then I had a tonne of essays and assignments to do. But as of last Monday, they're all over now, or at least they are until March, so I thought I'd make another blog post.
Now as I said in my latest video, which you can watch here:

I want to make more blog posts about writing, and not just reviews. I would start with some writing tips, but my brain has fallen out of my ears thanks to my assignments, so I thought I'd do a tag I found on readerwriterzoe's blog. It's about reading and books, so it counts... Mostly... Don't judge me, I'm TIRED! I'll be back with proper writing blogs soon.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
I can't remember because I was too young, but apparently I was talking before I was walking because I had health problems as a child. I spent a lot of time in hospital, not walking around, instead listening to everyone around me talking, so I picked up words very quickly. That soon descended into my falling for words and all things literary, and because I come from a family of big readers, I was fed books my entire childhood, and I loved it! 

Where do you usually read?
In my chair in my front room, and on the bus and train journey's to uni. Though journey reading is generally saved for things I need to read for whatever lecture I'm having that day. At home it's almost purely for enjoyment, though I have also been known to read fiction for fun on long car journey's too. 

Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several at once?
Weirdly, both. If I'm reading a book/ebook, only one at a time. I get confused far too easily otherwise. But if we're talking fan fiction, I can easily jump all over the place, even when it's all in the same fandom. Don't ask why I can't do that with more traditional books, but I can't!

What is your favourite genre?
Oh, that's tough. I like most genre's, though I am fond of Young Adult and a bit of sci-fi. 

What genre will you not read?
I'm really, really not fond of anything that's Victorian, I've been completely put off thanks to reading and analysing Dickens etc for uni. I'm not fond of romance either. 

Do you have a favourite book?
That's like choosing your favourite child! I love The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (if you hadn't guessed by me talking about it constantly, and I really like Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, I'm so like Kath it's actually physically painful at times. 

What is the worst book you've ever read?
Jesus, that's tough. Most recently, I really did not enjoy Wide Sargasso Sea, but I think the worst, and please don't kill me for this, but Alice In Wonderland. I read it for English A Level and wanted to slap Alice for most of the book, I know she's a small child, but I really cannot stand characters who cry at everything and accept everything so easily without questioning it. 

What is the biggest book you've ever read?
Er... I have absolutely no idea. I've read some quite thick ones in the past but I can't think of anything that big right now. Ask me some other day, I may remember! 

What was the last book you bought?
Nocturnes At Nohant - The Decade Of Chopin And Sand by Helen Farrish. I had to buy it for part of my uni course, and I wish I could say I've bought a book recently for my own reading pleasure, but I simply haven't had the time as of late! My best friend did get my a Doctor Who trivia book for Christmas though if that counts?

Which do you prefer? Library books or buying books?
BUYING! I love libraries too, but there is nothing better than staring at all the books you have bought and feeling incredibly proud that you have read them all. It's like a badge of honour, or several walls of them. 

What are you reading now?
Unfortunately, nothing at the moment! I'm too busy to read! If I had time, I would be either finishing Fangirl, working my way further through the Discworld or finishing off the Buffy The Vampire Slayer comics. Or starting on the Marvel comic universe, because I want to know EVERYTHING these films are going to give me in the future!

What are the disadvantages of being a book-lover?
Having absolutely no money thanks to books, running out of space on kindle/bookshelves and bad movie adaptations ruining perfectly good stories with bad casting choices/leaving out important details.

And Then There Was One Massive Plot Twist

Hey everyone, I hope your Christmas' were fun and you got everything you wanted! I had a pretty good time, and have mostly been sitting on my arse doing nothing all week. Well, when I say nothing, I mean watching TV, and my God did I stumble upon one hell of a TV special.
Of course, I'm talking about And Then There Were None, the BBC's latest adaption of Agatha Christie's novel, and over three nights I was utterly hooked on it. I'd been looking forward to watching this show ever since I saw the advert for it a while back, to be honest, I probably would have watched anyway because a) Aiden Turner is in it and I love that man a lot, and b) it's a murder mystery. If there's one thing I love to watch, it's a murder mystery, or really anything to do with murder. So, I sat down and watched it, and I fallen in love.
First of all, the plot is amazing, ten strangers are invited to an island, each one with a secret, and slowly they get killed off one by one, not knowing who is behind it. Each person is killed according to poem that hangs in every persons room in the house, and when a body is found, the ten statues in the dining room reduce numbers. This could have gotten very monotonous after the third murder, possibly even predictable, but it never did. I was on tender hooks the entire time, wondering who was going to die next, and how it was going to be done. For the first two episodes, I resisted looking up the whole poem, but I had to by the end episode, just to see if I could get any clues from it, all I got instead was the creepy factor amping up further.
Secondly, the characters were incredibly cleverly written. Each one is hiding a common secret - they're all guilty of murder in some way or other, and none of them have been caught for it. Between a doctor who drunk on the job during a surgery, to a cop who killed a gay man simply for being gay, every single one has killed at least one person and none feel the least bit guilty for it. And while some characters are sort of likable, you as the audience don't really warm to anyone. Not to say that they all deserved to die (though let's be honest, Douglas' Booth's character was a complete asshole and was pegged to be 'the first to go' from the start) but you don't actually route for anybody, not really. I found myself liking Aiden's character, not just for his face (or his body, dear lord that towel scene was a nice edition, thank you producers that one) but because he was honest. He admitted to his killings, and while showing no sign of remorse, he did show some brain, and some kindness at times. He didn't just think of getting himself off the island, he did try to help the others he trusted to. So I liked him. Which (spoiler alert) made his death quite painful in the end, at least he was second to last to go, so it wasn't too bad.
Nothing is all too obvious in plot line either, nothing is revealed straight away. You have to watch all three episodes to get everyone's story, and to figure out who is behind all this. It is never made clear, or even hinted at, whether the killer is part of the ten or if they is another player in the mix. Trying to figure it out is nigh impossible, as at every turn you find out something new that creates a new theory. I had so many I lost count, and never once was I right in my deductions. At one point I went so far as to think that maybe this was all happening in someone's head, and that this was some sort of psychotic break Shutter Island style, which seemed very plausible. Every theory seemed plausible as I went along, and I never expected the plot twist at the end.
Now, I'm going warn you SPOILERS AHEAD. IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, SCROLL PAST THIS BIT RIGHT NOW. I HAVE WARNED YOU.

At the end, just when I thought I would never find out who was behind all the murder (let me tell you right now, if that had happened, I would have hit the roof in anger and this review would be very different) to find out that it was the judge all along - I never saw that coming in a million years! In hindsight, I probably should have, judge/jury/executioner and all that, but I honestly didn't! I immediately discounted him after he faked his death, thinking him as just another victim, and possibly the sanest one of the lot. So to see him actually reveal that he was behind all of it, as a sort of 'get the uncaught bad guys' before dying himself, wow I had never even considered it. I actually screamed a little when I did if I'm honest.

SPOILER FREE ZONE STARTS AGAIN HERE.
Truly, And Then There Were None was a brilliant thrill ride of a TV show. Combing suspense, gore, murder and wonderful plot twists into a beautiful three hours. It distinctly reminded me of an old fashioned How To Get Away With Murder mini series, set in the space of a few days instead of a few months. I love every single second of it, and wish to see more things like this in the future! BBC get right on it, I need more!
Did anybody else see anything good over the holidays? If so, let me know, I need more things to watch to distract me from my essays and currently not much is working. Also, if you watched this show, let me know some of your theories, were you as shocked as I was when the killer was revealed? Let's start a discussion going, I sure as hell don't want to let this show end so soon!

Disliking Literary Classics

Frankenstein Is Alive And Well!

I’m a bit late to the party here, but last night I watched Victor Frankenstein, starring James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe, and I have to say, it was amazing!

I had high hopes for this film, for several reasons. One, because it’s Frankenstein and so I know the story pretty well, two, the trailer looked pretty damn good, and three it’s James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe. I was not disappointed in the slightest; the film completely lived up to expectations and then some!

With most cinematic adaption’s of classics like Frankenstein, the story either falls flat, or there’s something missing from the piece, but this one didn't. There was the right amount of humour, the right amount of gore, and the right amount of plot. Usually, one of those things are missing - take the recent adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, it was poorly acted with cartoon violence at best, and a completely obvious plot line it was almost laughable. Frankenstein Chronicles looks good but I feel like the story is going to drag itself out (and isn’t focusing on the mad scientist, who is arguably the most important character of the entire story). But Victor Frankenstein actually focuses on Frankenstein himself (and Igor obviously) and tells the story of his first attempts at making the famous monster.

This film, instead of going down the same old route of ‘Frankenstein creates monster, monster goes on rampage, Frankenstein gets killed in the end by the monster in supposedly dramatic but ultimately predictable way,’ goes down a rarely trodden story line. Victor Frankenstein tells the story of how Victor met Igor, and more importantly, the steps he took to create the monster. How the man started with bringing animals back before moving onto humans, how in the well known story, he got it all right first time, and how he didn’t escape notice from the police.

It’s an interesting route, one I didn't expect after seeing the trailer. I was expecting the usual story line of Frankenstein creating the fully made monster, but this was far more interesting. This showed his steps to creating that famous monster, where his funding originally came from, where Igor came from in the first place, and how the two went about creating a man out of various body parts. All the while having the right amount of gore to be disgusting, yet not off putting, which is perfect for this type of film!

James McAvoy is a brilliant Frankenstein; he’s rude and brilliant enough for the scientist, while still giving Victor the undercurrent of madness that would eventually be his undoing. More importantly, he made him sympathetic, in other versions I haven’t felt an ounce of sympathy for Frankenstein, because he’s generally been a complete ass with no redeeming qualities. James pulls of an enjoyable mad genius, who is still an ass, but he’s a loveable one, which makes all the difference.
Daniel Radcliffe is fantastic as Igor, going nowhere near the ‘yessssss master’ stereotype usually associated with Igor. Even the hunchback is dismissed within the first twenty minutes (in a gross fashion that even had me saying ‘ewwww’). I loved him as Igor, and loved the story the writers gave him, lifting the character from being a subservient slave to a well spoken, clever partner.

Andrew Scott’s detective character was the right amount of creepy, evil and just a tad bit mad too. I loved to hate him throughout, yet I still managed to feel a bit sympathetic for him too in places. Also the bit with his hand (won’t say what, in case of spoilers) had me cringing in pain for him. Andrew nailed the role.

There were a few cameos too, coming from a few other actors related to Andrew and director Paul McGuigan, which will make a lot of Sherlock fans happy. Mark Gattiss, Louise Brealey and Alister Petrie, also known as Mycroft Holmes, Molly Hooper and James Sholto. I knew all were coming into the film, yet each was a pleasant surprise. Paul McGuigan used similar editing techniques used on Sherlock, in terms of showing body parts under skin, topping the whole thing off beautifully. Any Sherlock fan will be pleased to see the familiar faces and techniques, and even if you aren’t a fan of the show, then you’ll still certainly love the film on the whole.

I’d highly recommend this film to anybody looking for a decent retelling of Frankenstein; it’s got everything - humour and gore in just the right amounts, storyline that for once doesn’t drag, and no completely obvious plot hole in sight! Better yet, the end leaves it open for a sequel, and I for one would be delighted to see another outing with Victor Frankenstein and Igor! 

Pro-Tips - Research

NANOWRIMO IS OVER

THAT'S IT! WE ARE DONE PEOPLE! IT'S THE FIRST OF DECEMBER, NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING IS DONE!
And if nobody minds, I'm going to go and pass out now, because DAMN, that was one hell of a month! Between uni work, distractions and a thousand and one different fandom explosions, I'm surprised I managed to get through this month.
Thing is, I didn't just get through NaNoWriMo, I smashed it to pieces. As in, I went nine thousand words over target. Have a look yourself at this madness!

If you're asking how I did that, the answer is that I have absolutely no idea whatsoever. Literally, I don't have the faintest clue how I managed. I'm going to call it a complete fluke, considering for the rest of the year my average daily word count has been around 800. But this month I managed to double (some days triple) that. 

It was definitely a fluke, a complete fluke. One I'm very proud of, but still, FLUKE! 

There is also one person I'd like to shout out to this month, and that's my best friend Charlie who also smashed it this year. She finished an entire week early this year, doubling (and then some) her last two NaNoWriMo word counts! I'm a very proud, and very, very jealous, best friend this year!

Anyway, I hope everybody who took part got the word count they wanted, or at least got some more words than normal done, because that's what NaNo is all about. So I hope it all went swimmingly for you, and if not, hey there's always next year, and nothing to stop you practicing throughout the year!

But now, I feel that the real hard bit has arrived. It's time to decide what to do next with your project. There are three options for this, and it's up to you to figure out what you want to do next. 

Number One: Pass out, ignore the novel until next year, possibly never open the file again, leaving it to gather dust.

Number Two: Finish the story off if it is not completed.

Or Number Three: Start editing this mammoth.

All options are scary (yes, even running away. Think of the missed opportunities if you leave it to gather dust for the rust of time!) but if I may, I'd like to suggest something. In my opinion, I think you should try all three options. 

Hear me out a minute when I say this, because I know that sounds mental, but trust me, I've done this before. It's December, aka Holiday Season, and you've trapped yourself a way to write for a month. Go out and do that dreaded thing known as socialising for a bit, take a break from the writing and do something else for a bit. And when you've done refreshing yourself, come back to your novel, if you haven't finished it yet, you'll hopefully have a tonne of ideas and stamina to finish it off. If you need to start editing, it'll be easier now that you've had a break. You've been staring at your screen for ages now, completely consumed by every word you've typed, editing will be near impossible under those circumstances. But if you take that break, you'll be looking at the novel with fresher eyes, there will be bits you have forgotten about, things to surprise you, it makes it so much easier to look over things when you're refreshed. 

If you're stuck for ideas on how to edit things down, I will hopefully have some videos up soon to help you with that, for now, think about sorting out spelling/grammar mistakes, possibly start thinking up ways to solve anything that's bugging you with your story. That'll give you a good editing starting point. 

So in conclusion, YAY NaNo is over so we can breathe, I hope you all hit your word goal (if not, don't be disappointed), take a break before you break your poor overworked fingers, and allow yourself some time to yourself! It's been a great month, and I'm already looking forward to next year!