A good edit can make a huge difference to your story for kids. This article, the first of three, looks at editing for themes and structure.
A well edited story can make all the difference when you submit to a publisher. But what exactly does a ‘Good Edit’ entail? This article shows you the first five steps to follow to ensure a thorough edit. It focuses on editing for Themes and Structure.
- Identify the themes of your story, and make sure that you have run each theme through to the end of the story. Working in the themes is like knitting a Fair Isle jersey. You can’t add in a new colour wool at the beginning of a row and then drop it half way. You have to knit it right through to the end of the row, weaving it in and out of the existing pattern. It’s the same with your themes. They have to be subtly interwoven, disappearing for a little while and reappearing with regularity.
- Not sure what the themes are? Think about each character and what his or her motivation is. What do they want more than anything in the world? You will probably find that the theme and your main character’s motivation are the same things. Make sure that you have let the reader know what your main character’s motivation is, as this is a good way to engage the reader’s emotions.
- Overstated your themes? You can put a reader off by too heavy an emphasis on the theme, or an over-eager exploration of the moral issues behind the story. Remember, the story always takes precedence over any moral point you want to make. Subtle is better. When a child draws her own conclusions from a story, she will internalise them.
- Battling to get the first page to sound right? Consider if you have started the story in the right place. Perhaps you need to start that first scene a little later, right in the middle of the action. Or you might find that moving the scene back a little, and starting the action earlier may solve your problem.
- Have you included everything necessary in a scene? Have you given the reader enough clues for her imagination to build on? Try asking the journalistic questions about each scene in your story: Who, Where, Why, When and How. If you are not a particularly visual person your writing may be low on description. It can help to find photographs of a similar scene. By taking a close look at them you may find that phrases pop into your mind that will make the scene come alive for the readers. You can find photographs online by Googling Images.
Ready to carry on editing? Read the next two articles in this series, Editing for Facts and Reading Level, and Shaping the Text.
The copyright of the article Editing for Themes and Structure in Writing for Children is owned by Helen Brain. Permission to republish Editing for Themes and Structure must be granted by the author in writing.
