Developing Your Manuscript (Part 5)

We have finally made it to the last part of the series. Congratulations! Still feeling good about your writing? I hope you continue to find this information helpful, and refer back to it as needed.

Let's recap the steps we have reviewed so far:

Be sure to go back and read the previous posts as they give details on how to accomplish these steps.

Step 1: Decide what tense you want to write your novel in, and stick with it

Step 2: Pick a genre.

Step 3: Pick a character.

Step 4: Create an outline and give yourself a "soft deadline."

Step 5: Start from the ending and don't worry about the format.

Step 6: Give yourself a hard deadline.

Step 7: Set up a time to write each day.

Step 8: Write your first and last sentence for the chapter

Bonus: Do yourself a favor and pay attention to your tense while you are writing these sentences.

Step 9: Fill in between the lines.

Step 10: Pay attention to details and be consistent.

Now that we have covered all the necessary bases, let's get on with it, shall we? On to the final steps!

Step 11: Read it aloud to see if you wrote what you see in your head.

This is why step 10 is so important. Often, authors see something in their heads, key details which are important to the story line, but they forget to write it out. Make sure that what you see in your head is what you have written on paper. Be sure that what you hear, as you read it aloud, is what you want your readers to envision as they read the book. If the main character always wears a red scarf, it should be noted throughout the book because it is an important part of who your character is. Reading the story aloud also allows you to hear your manuscript mistakes. If it doesn't sound the way you want, you now have the opportunity to change it.

Step 12: Make sure that you answered every question your reader may ask.

Do you remember the television show Family Matters? You remember all of the main characters, right? Then there was Judy. If you have to ask who Judy is, you weren't a fan of the show. For everyone else, however, Judy was the baby sister who just disappeared with no explanation. Fans were baffled, and a little upset that our intelligence was insulted by the writers. Don't be that person. Don't be that writer who loses track of characters and drops them into the land of oblivion. Consider these questions:

Did you introduce a character and expand on their importance to the story?

Did characters enter the story and disappear?

If your story is not fantasy, are your characters realistic?

Did you provide well-rounded characters throughout the story that will leave a lasting impression?

In doing so, did you ensure that all of them had a complete story line? Sure, there will be characters who only contribute a few words here and there. But don't introduce a character in one chapter, creating some type of importance, and then lose them. It leaves your reader wondering what happened to them.

Step 13: Come up with a title and enjoy the experience!

If you haven't already decided on your title, now is the time. Some authors already have a title and build the story around the title. Other authors, however, start with a title and end up with something entirely different as the story takes on a life of its own. Have fun and enjoy the writing process.

Thank you for reading the Developing Your Manuscript series. I hope it was helpful to you. If you need me, I'm here. See you next week.

carmLkisses,

Carmen L. Hendrix

Carmen Hendrix is the author of the short story collection When Honeysuckles Fall and the novel Eight Moments. To read some of her short stories, visit her blog here. She will be pleased to make your acquaintance. You can also catch her several times weekly on the Honey Pot Podcast. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast channel that best suits you here.

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