Rewriting

Last week, on the 23rd, we talked about rewriting.
1. Overall/General
Often we can learn from mistakes, so take a novel you think could be improved, plotwise.

2. Details
- Don't overuse the word 'that'
Take a look at how many times you use the following words in a section of your writing: eyes, glance, good, had, head, just, look, mouth (open, close), nod, raise, eyebrow (raise, lift), really, seem, shrug, sigh, slowly, smile, so, still, stood, suddenly, then, very, walk

3. Drafts:
I have a hard time getting through the first draft, but it's okay for it to be messy, just get through it!
First draft (1.0)
First Draft (1.5) - first draft becomes readable
Second Draft (2.0) - cut out 5 - 10,000 words. Delete unnecessary adjectives, etc.
Beta Readers (2.5) - great time for ypublish submissions, or a creative writing classmate. Have at least one writer friend for this step.
Third Draft (3.0) - fix the things you were too close to the story to see (things your readers pointed out). This is hard to do - you're attached sometimes. Lots of structural changes here.
Fourth Draft (4.0)
Alpha Readers - pick some people who like to read, not writers. Don't pick someone who doesn't read at all, they need to read often. They don't have to write. But they will notice things to change - Also try to get several people - at least five - so you can get a range of responses. You can post on facebook that you need some readers.. You'll be more confident at this stage, so you can share with people.
Final Draft - you probably won't make big changes for this step. You'll be making final tweaks from your alpha readers - pay attention to their responses to things. Polish, and get ready to send to a literary agent!