{"id":532,"date":"2025-04-30T01:04:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T01:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/?p=532"},"modified":"2025-04-30T14:53:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T14:53:21","slug":"rewriting-finding-your-voice-finding-your-bones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/30\/rewriting-finding-your-voice-finding-your-bones\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewriting: Finding Your Voice, Finding Your Bones"},"content":{"rendered":"

(The following handout was prepared for a workshop on June 27, 2014.)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. POV: Examining Point-of-View<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Is the right person or third-person narrator telling the story?<\/p>\n

    If you have multiple POVs, is each character carrying his\/her\/their weight?<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    2. Voice<\/p>\n

    Is the best representation of “voice” in your manuscript sustained through most of your manuscript?<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    3. Container and Plot<\/p>\n

    Is a prose book the proper structure for your story?<\/p>\n

    Is your chosen “genre” the right container for your story?<\/p>\n

    OUTLINE VS. PANTSER (or discovery writer)<\/p>\n

    Author Learning Center interviews<\/p>\n

    Plotter: Wayne Hoffman<\/a><\/p>\n

    Pitch\/Characters\/Outlines: Claudia Gabel<\/a><\/p>\n

    Pantser: Tammy Kaehler<\/a><\/p>\n

    Great question: Is there enough material for a book?<\/p>\n

    Remembering the pitch: Or what is the “knot” of your story?<\/p>\n

    Three disasters and resolution\/outlining your book after you’ve completed a draft<\/p>\n

    REVISING AND EDITING THE SOGGY MIDDLE<\/p>\n

    Author Learning Center interview<\/p>\n

    Cindy Jones<\/a>: Moved items that was designed for a sequel into the first book.<\/p>\n

    Naomi’s tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Three braiding technique<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Have you let the chips fall where they should?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Outline your chapters\/scenes on 3″ x 5″ cards<\/strong><\/p>\n

    4. Setting and Characters<\/p>\n

    Have you set this in the right place or time? (thinking about this should probably happen before writing)<\/p>\n

    Is there enough at stake for all the main characters?<\/p>\n

    5. Details (some stolen from the late Doris Betts)<\/p>\n

    Are you using “look” too much?<\/p>\n

    Do you start the book with the person looking in the mirror?<\/p>\n

    Does the beginning catch your reader’s attention? Does it represent what will be happening through the book?<\/p>\n

    Dialogue tags–up for debate<\/p>\n

    BOOKS ON WRITING<\/p>\n

    Bird by Bird<\/em> (Anne Lamott)<\/p>\n

    On Writing<\/em> (Stephen King)<\/p>\n

    Writing a Novel<\/em> (John Braine)<\/p>\n

    Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques for Exceptional Storytelling<\/em> (Donald Maass)<\/p>\n

    ASSIGNMENTS<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Select one of the above sections and sit in it. Write the question and journal the answer.<\/li>\n
    2. If you have selected #2, choose a strong paragraph representing your “voice” and test it against some other paragraphs in your work.<\/li>\n
    3. For #3, journal and consider whether you need to add a subplot or follow through on a falling chip or domino.<\/li>\n
    4. Begin to write plot lines on 3″ by 5″ cards and note the rhythm of your book.<\/li>\n
    5. Consider whether there is enough at stake for all of the main characters. If no, journal what may have to be added\/changed.<\/li>\n
    6. Quickly go through your manuscript to see repetition of words or other pitfalls.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      (The following handout was prepared for a workshop on June 27, 2014.) POV: Examining Point-of-View Is the right person or third-person narrator telling the story? If you have multiple POVs, is each character carrying his\/her\/their weight?   2. Voice Is the best representation of “voice” in your manuscript sustained through most of your manuscript?   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing-resources"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=532"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":542,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/532\/revisions\/542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naomihirahara.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}