Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition III

ArshiDokadia Presents: Announcements, Rewriting 101, & Cover Reveal

Announcements, Rewriting 101 by Mediocre Me and Cover Reveal

@ArshiDokadia

Whoa, this is my third time in this awesome party!

Let me just take a deep breath. –Inhale- -Exhale-

Phew! I feel so much better now. Nah, just kidding, I am as excited and pumped up as I was for the first one!

But this time I have loads of news for you! A lot has changed since we last met and I cannot help but share it here.

Before that, I am Arshi Dokadia, a 21 year old Indian with the love for writing, education in English Literature and working on becoming a Psychologist.

For starters, I finally got a cat! She's a Persian kitten, just two months old and I have named her Hazel.

On a secondary note, my short story got published in an anthology by Arusha Books! And one poem and another short story are selected for a Valentine's Anthology by RainDrops Company!

But that is not all.

There's a big one coming.

I am getting How to Not Crack PMT published!

We are in the initial stages of publishing and the first stage is actually rewriting the book. Yes, the first draft I have here on Wattpad is a bit worse for wear. I know, I know.

So, back to the point: Rewriting.

I have actually been slaving over the rewriting process – which constantly reminds of me my weak Grammar and Writing skills three years ago. Have I improved? I am not so sure. But I think I have a better understanding of plotting and how not to lag a novel making the reader say, "Okay, if you go any slow, this book will be going backwards." Or "I can see you had a writer's block... You introduced your 40th character."

Anyways, so, I have decided to share the wisdom I have gained about the rewriting process.

This might or might not work for you. I personally think that everyone has different method for writing and rewriting and there is no one size fits all case here. So, read and tell me what you think. If you're willing, do share your rewriting experiences with me in the comment section. Don't forget to tag me @ArshiDokadia so I get a notification.

So, let's begin with Rewriting 101 by Mediocre Me.

Character Roles:

Now that you have written your first draft, you have a list of characters. Ideally, after a year or so of letting your draft catch dust, what you should do is reread your book and list all the characters mentioned in your story, even the ones mentioned in passing.

Once the list is ready, define the roles. How are these characters affecting your story? How will removing these characters affect your plot?

Remove all the characters that have no significance to your plot. Or convey no message whatsoever.

Secondly, once you have the list of significant characters write down how exactly you want these characters to affect the protagonist and plot. Are there some characters that are simply repetitive? That is, same role, characteristics and mannerisms but different names? Combine them, if possible.

Timeline:

Establish a timeline for your story and protagonist(s) and this does not mean age or years. But a mental developmental chart or the changing equation. This is to make sure that you have an idea of the emotional states of your protagonist. Also, you have to make sure that there is a change or a journey that your characters portray, otherwise, what's the point of reading? For example, even though Dan Brown novels usually occur during a span of a night or two, they make significant progress in their emotional standing. It doesn't mean that the developments should be progressive, you can write a character going progressively mental, too.

Plot Changes: Keep or Discard?

Once you have completed the above two steps, you will have a general idea of where you want to go with a story. Now that is over. Keep whatever is significant, and discard whatever has no consequences to the plot.

Chapter Outline:

Keeping in mind all the changes required make a chapter outline. Now, here focus on one key rule: SOMETHING IMPORTANT MUST HAPPEN IN EVERY CHAPTER. Keep the fillers to minimum, and if possible, none.

What I like to do is keep it similar to my bullet journal. I have goals written down for annual development, monthly development and even weekly development. When I fill out my daily log, I like to write down at least three things I did to achieve my goals (one each). Your chapters are you daily logs trying to achieve the three types of goals you've set. Now, sometimes you don't know the final achievement but you will eventually know what actions led to it. Don't shy away from writing down the goals that were not achieved.

Final Writing:

This is not your first draft. You are not probably writing with the flow of emotions. You have set scenes and acts, and several things that are going to happen. So, you should make every sentence and paragraph as perfect as possible. Make sure there are no errors. You've done the write, write, write part, now you have to focus on the rewrite, rewrite, rewrite one.

Proofread:

Yes, you've tried to be as perfect as possible, but still go ahead and proofread everything you have written. If possible, have some trusted beta readers to give you feedback, and then, send that amazing manuscript away for publishing.

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Of course, as I said one size doesn't fit all. So, your rewriting process might not match mine, I am looking forward to all the tips and tricks you might have for making rewriting easier and better.

On a much lighter note, I am super glad to announce that I will also be publishing my short stories on Wattpad now in the form of an anthology called Mishti Biscotti, which, basically, translates to sweet biscotti for sweet short stories mainly with moral or some sort of message.

The cover is attached below.

Anyways, if you want to talk, feel free to PM me! I would be glad to help.

Also, don't forget to participate in the giveaway and win a copy of the The Lost Puzzles Anthology.

Cheers!

Peace!

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P.S. Don't forget to enter the 130+ #WattpadBlockParty Giveaways! Clickable links are at the top of my Wattpad profile! :)

GIVEAWAY LINK ONE:

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