Friday, February 5, 2016

Writers, Rewrite the Masters to Improve Your Writing

by Bruce Brady @BDBrady007

The other day I began reading a New York Times best-selling novel with a critical eye and noticed something I thought odd. It could have been written better.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’m better than that author. I’m certainly not. My point here is to make us all aware of a couple truths, and an idea.

First, The fact that it was a best-selling novel and could have been better written, proves to me that story is king. If we write compelling stories, the reader will forgive grammatical errors and less than perfect structure. Our stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, must engage our readers. It’s possible for us to write perfect sentences and paragraphs, and still bore the reader to death.

Test me on this. Think of your favorite book, then see if it isn’t the story that captures you. When writing, I urge you to focus on story and leave English Composition for later. In fact, leave it to others who are more savvy in this area, if you’re like me.

Second, Under the pressure to meet deadlines, we all—writers and editors—will make and miss mistakes. We’re human. In the process of rewriting, there comes a point where we’re just plain tired of reading the same story over and over. Exhaustion breeds errors. Also, we will skip over our own errors while mentally inserting the words we intended. Readers do the same thing. And editors are readers.

Turn off your inner-editor and read a book for pleasure. Then re-read it with a critical eye and see if you inserted some words that just seemed right but weren’t there. I know I do this often. It’s natural.

Finally, as I was mentally rewriting portions of this best-seller, the Lord hit me with an idea that may be helpful for you as well. He told me to finish reading the story, then go back and rewrite those sentences that I felt could have been better. The beauty of this exercise is that it will help me—and perhaps you—become a better writer.

So I challenge you to conduct your own rewrites of some of your favorite authors and see if it doesn’t improve your writing. Please don’t ever use their names in discussions or postings. This is not about criticizing another writer. It’s about challenging yourself to be the best storyteller you can be.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Let’s keep the conversation going in the comments section.

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Writers, rewrite the masters to improve your #writing - thoughts from @BDBrady007 (Click to Tweet)

Bruce Brady is an author, writer and playwright. His work has appeared in Focus on the Family’s Thriving Family, www.ChristianDevotions.us, and on stage. Currently, Bruce is working on a Young Adult Novel about a boy who must deal with the death of his dad, being bullied, and helping his mom through her grief. His first five pages took third place in the ACFW South Carolina Chapter’s “First Five Pages” contest.

When he’s not writing, Bruce spends time learning from and helping other writers. He serves as Mentor of Word Weavers International’s Online Chapter, and as a member of Cross ‘N’ Pens, The Writer’s Plot, ACFW’s National and South Carolina Chapters.

“My dream is to entertain my readers and give them hope as they travel the rocky road of life.”

20 comments:

  1. Bruce, I did notice in one novel, that the writer changed from 1st person to 3rd person and back again. It distracted me. The story however, outstanding.

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    1. Thanks Cherrilynn. I'm guessing that the outstanding story kept you reading. However, I'm sure that the distractions would have caused you to put it down if the story hadn't been compelling. Have a blessed weekend.

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  2. Thank you this post. As I look at my weekly schedule plan (ha! something I've only just started doing in 2016!) I see I need to plan for time in the week to work on the "craft" of writing. This is an excellent exercise for what I guess many call "sharpening the Sword Time!" Whatever it's called, I am rethinking the time I give to my writing skill set.

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    1. Thanks Kathleen. I'm happy to have been of service. We writers can't ever stop working on our craft. To do so would probably end our writing careers. Have a blessed weekend.

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  3. Such good advice, Bruce! Story is king. Amen. After they get the story out they can go to Word Weavers. :) Blessings! So glad you'e back.

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    1. Thanks Andy. Word Weavers is a great idea for after the story. Have a blessed weekend. By the way, it looks as though we will be moving closer to you sometime this year. Then we will have no excuse not to visit.

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  4. It's true! Not long ago, I pulled out a favorite old book and it didn't hold my interest like it had years ago. On the other hand, another one did and the writing wasn't that great. But then you find a book that's well written and has that great story...oh my. It holds you captive. You suspend disbelief and become part of the story.

    And that's what we all strive for. Excellent post!

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    1. Thanks Ane. You took the words from my mouth when you said a great story well written is what we all strive for. And my we never catch ourselves saying, "I've finally written the best I possibly can." Have a blessed weekend.

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  5. I had this happen just the other day. I was reading a well-known and very popular book and realized it could have been written better. What a great idea, Bruce, to rewrite the story and learn from the author and work on our own skills. Thanks!

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    1. Thanks Kathy. I can't take credit for the idea. That goes to God. But we can all be encouraged to know that we don't have to be perfect to be popular writers. Have a blessed weekend.

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    2. I agree with Kathy. I've never thought of re-writing a story I've read, doing it the way I would've written it. What a great way to learn from someone else I'll likely never meet..

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  6. Brilliant idea! A practical writing exercise we can use in our everyday reading lives - thanks, Bruce!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I was happy God replaced my natural tendency to criticize the author, and showed my how to make it a positive for me and others. Have a blessed weekend. See you soon.

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  7. Yep. When I was teaching, this is how I incorporated composition and grammar into my literature classes. Students always had to re-write excerpts of 19th century novels into contemporary structure. Much better than mindless textbook exercises.
    Joy!
    Kathy

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    1. Thanks Kathy. I agree it's a better way to learn the craft. And you get to read some great stories in the process. Have a blessed weekend.

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  8. I have a book written by a well-known author that I've read several times because the story is so good. It wasn't until the third or fourth reading that I noticed spelling errors. I was shocked, but only for a second. The mistakes didn't diminish the story at all.

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    1. Thanks Linda. I believe you discovered that story is king. If we concentrate on our message, the emotional strength of our stories will come through much better. We can always go back and fix our grammar and compositions later. Have a blessed weekend.

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  9. oh what pressure this takes off of my shoulders! not in a sense of letting myself be sloppy or careless, but for the fact that no manuscript is immune to the "then-than" syndrome. (TTS, just coined!) i know my stories are good (i've been told so) but a niggling little panic creep in that there are too many goofs that nobody will want to read!
    i, too, have read long-time and well-established (trad) authors and i must confess, i feel an evil sense of glee when i see silly little mistakes!
    thanks for sharing your post, you have given me great encouragment today

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    1. Thanks Robin. Happy to be of service. I know I struggle greatly whenever I try to correct my errors while writing my first draft. And I've often given up in frustration. Don't let this happen to you. Press on and fix the errors later. Or let someone else fix them. Have a blessed weekend.

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  10. Thank you for this perspective Bruce - I couldn't agree more. Every day my journal writing begins with a hymn or Bible verse and invariably WORD suggests changes in grammar! It is a daily reminder that content is first, perfect form - last!

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