Posted by editors on Mar 9, 2015 in Uncategorized | 1 comment
Whether you are in the beginning stages of planning out a novel or in the thick of writing or revision, taking a step back to view your work in a holistic, comprehensive way can increase the richness and authenticity of the piece. Since “holistic” means to view something as a system, or as one whole being, instead of disparate parts, what I am about to suggest might initially seem counter-indicated for a holistic approach. To achieve a holistic conceptualization of your manuscript, tease apart the different elements, but do this to see how they each influence the other as a system.
Stop to consider what components would comprise a complete evaluation–characterization, plot and subplot, verbs, structure, setting, a review of the dialogue—and go through the manuscript checking for one aspect at a time (or if you haven’t started writing yet, sketch out something under each category as deeply as you can). The finished product should ultimately be more cohesive than before by analyzing how each part works (or does not work) together. Are your reducing the tension in the plot and negating the stakes because your characters are flat and hard to sympathize with? Is your language too repetitive or too florid, confusing or annoying the reader, and coloring their perception of the other elements? Think about ways you can improve one factor in your manuscript and how that will affect the entirety of the piece. Make your disparate parts into a working healthy system, so that it all gels together.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
When you’re finished going through your disparate parts and have rejoined them into a hopefully more effective system, read your work out loud so that you can connect with the way the words fill the air and how they hit your ears. Remember that the holistic approach can be likened to our solar system—different entities with different purposes, but all gravitating towards one common element, achieving balance and harmony.
Julia Blake lives in Washington, D.C. and is an adjunct faculty member in both an English department and a Mental Health Counseling program. She earned her MFA in Fiction at Spalding University. Her work has been published in Soundings Review and is forthcoming in Red Savina Review.
Julie you are awesome!!!
Keep up the good work!!!