REVISION BURROWAYS REVISION CHECKLIST Do you know what

REVISION

BURROWAY’S REVISION CHECKLIST • Do you know what your piece is about? You should be able to answer that question in one sentence. • Is it clear, in a concrete sense, what’s going on? As Burroway says, “We need to be oriented on the simplest level of reality before we can share your imaginative world. ” • Do you have all the scenes you need to realize your vision? If not, add them. Are there scenes (though they may be fun or interesting) that don’t support what the piece is about? If so, cut them. • Is there a “so-what” or a “hook” on the first page to make a reader want to read on?

• Is the language fresh? Have you eliminated all clichéd or shopworn phrases? • Have you gotten rid of too-general, fuzzy words? Words like “everything, ” “huge” and “beautiful” are too imprecise to say much. Words like “really, ” “very, ” and “just” are marks of a beginning writer (unless they’re part of dialog meant to characterize the speaker). • Are the characters in your piece three-dimensional? (Remember, even if you’re writing about yourself, on the page, you’re a character. ) Strive to make characters rounded and complex rather than twodimensional stereotypes. Is your main character relatable, someone a reader would want to spend time with?

• Have you said enough about your theme to keep that theme in the back of the reader’s mind? It’s possible to say too much—you don’t want to beat the reader over the head with the point you’re trying to make. But you also don’t want them to not be aware of it. • Do setting and imagery support theme in some way? Have you created scenes that involve all the senses? • Is every word, sentence, and scene in the story necessary? Cut out anything that isn’t. Readers are busy, and generally like short stuff better than long stuff.