Writers--Keep Your Eyes Open

I critiqued a business article last night for one of my writing group members. She talked about overlooking the obvious things right before our very eyes. 

It occurred to me that when we write our first drafts, we inevitably do exactly that. We could look through those big binoculars the guy above has and still not see the little things that another reader/critiquer finds. Immediately! 

That old cliche about not seeing the forest for the trees might apply here. The overall picture of the story we wrote might be hidden because of a list of small errors. Like what? It could be any one of these: 

• lack of clarity (writer knows exactly but reader cannot see it from the writing)
• too wordy
• sentences too long
• unnecessary words (this one's a biggie)
• cliches
• use of same tense consistently
• overuse of adjectives and/or adverbs
• passive verbs'
• repetition of words close together
• lack of sensory detail
• poor dialogue

When I critique someone's story, many of the points above stand out like a neon light. When I proofread my own work I skim right on by many of those blips from the list. Why?

Perhaps we are too invested in the story itself to be conscious of all those little things that make a good story a great story. 

One way to help yourself be aware of your own errors is to finish that first draft, then put it in a file and forget it for several days--even a week or two. I promise that you will see it from a new perspective. Some, but not all, of those minor problems will wave a flag in your face and you can fix them before submitting to either a writing group or an editor. 

Editors often say "Send us your best work." That would mean a piece of writing that has been edited and revised by you and, hopefully, at least one other reader. When I sub a story to my writing group, I am delighted if several people choose to critique it. What one misses, another sees. And, if all who critique mark the same spot, then I know that is a place to rework. 

You may not need those big binoculars but do read your work with eyes wide open.