A fuzzy caterpillar is kind of cute but not a beautiful creature. Once it spins a cocoon and time goes by, it emerges as an astonishing butterfly, one whose beauty if appreciated by we humans. Ken and I visited a Butterfly Sanctuary years ago in a southern state, which one I don't remember. It was not the place but the simple beauty we saw as we walked slowly through the exhibits and the live butterfly garden. To see one is great, but to witness a large assembly of butterflies is awesome.
The stories, essays, and poems we write evolve in much the same way. Our first drafts can be compared to the little caterpillar whereas the finished product can resemble the butterfly. Just as the caterpillar inside the cocoon must take time to transform, our writing does the same.
We write the first draft for a short story or a personal essay. Then read it over for quick proofreading and put it out of sight for a few days, or even longer. Later, we pull it out and start editing and revising. What do we look for? A short list is below:
- Redundant ideas
- Places that don't work--cut or revise
- Words repeated too often, especially within the same sentence or two.
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Tense
- Sensory detail
- Spaces--either missing or too many
- Dialogue tags
- Length of sentences
- Language that is too flowery
- Overuse of adjectives
- Overuse of adverbs
- Passive verbs
- Sense of place
- Character development
- Is there a point to be taken
- Story has a beginning, middle, and ending
- Strong opening paragraph
- Unnecessary words
- Over describing
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