Revision Idea 1

Re-vision?

"What's that?" you may ask.

Well, re means to go back, and I'll bet you know what vision means, right? So revision means to go back and look over--Oh, and make changes to make your story even better.

I once heard author Avi say that he goes back over his chapter books as many as 70 times before he is finished. When I write a new story, I go back over it at least 30times.

Nobody expects kids to go over their stories that many times, but we do hope you go beyond that first rough draft a couple of times anyway. The next two blog entries will give you some ideas for what to do when you go back over your work.

As you go back over your story to make it better and better, you might want to work on making your characters more vivid.

How?

1. Physical Description:
Not So Vivid: Banjo McKnight arrived at school looking unusual.
More Vivid: Banjo McKnight arrived at school wearing a red headband and cowboy boots. His denim jacket was three sizes too big and hung on him like a tent draped over a chair.

2. The What and How of Dialogue:
Not So Vivid: Albert demanded the money and took it right away.
More Vivid: “Gimme the dollar, kid,” snarled Albert as he snatched the money out of my hand.

3. Description of Actions:
Not So Vivid: Banjo came into the room nervously.
More Vivid: Banjo slunk through the doorway and edged his back along the far wall, his eyes darting back and forth nervously.

4. The Character’s Thoughts
Not So Vivid: Banjo thought about the last time he’d been here.
More Vivid: Banjo’s mind raced over what had happened before in this very room—the whole room full ch people staring at him and then breaking into laughter and pointing at his poor clothing.

5. Backstory the Narrator Tells
Not So Vivid: He came from a poor family with lots of kids.
More Vivid: He’d grown up in a shack in the mountains of Pennsylvania, in a place called Poor Hollow. The further up Poor Hollow you went, the poorer it got, and he and his seven brothers and sisters lived all the way at the top. No running water. No electricity. Wood heat. The poorest part of Poor Hollow.

Your Challenge
Try some of this as you read back over your story. You may discover something new about your characters.
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