Tipsy Tuesday

One of the things that I do once I've finished my rough draft is at least one complete read-through. Out loud. This way, I hear the way the story flows, pick up on repetitive words and phrases and, hopefully, find discrepancies. Last night I made it through the first 2/3s of Moon's Rise (my sequel to Daring the Moon), and made several changes. In one place I noticed that I had the heroine making a day-trip to London and would be returning home that same evening, and several pages later it's the next morning and she's just returning home. Oops.

I also had to chop a few lines that didn't fit where they were, though they were excellent lines. And there's another tip. Don't be unwilling (or unable) to delete words. If their absence makes the story tighter, then they've got to go.

In the long run, you'll be glad you did.