Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop FAQ: Q. How can I learn to recognize mistakes?

Q. How can I learn to recognize mistakes?

A. There are two approaches.

You could merely look at the work as a whole and somehow realize that it is not producing the effect you desire. I'm not going to write much about this approach, because if you had such a discerning eye, you wouldn't need much help with revision. Moreover, this approach might indicate when something was wrong, but will provide few clues for identifying the exact problem or correcting it.

The other approach is to work from the word up. In this approach you look for weak or mistaken words or for words that indicate weak expressions. These are comparatively easy spot. You could even use the search feature of your word processor to look for some of them. Most usage and grammar check programs can identify at least a few such problems. When you find the weak expressions in this way, correction is a simple matter.

When the individual words and expressions are corrected, the overall effect of the piece will take care of itself. Effective revision is a matter of percentages. Very little writing is revised to the point of perfection; usually a few weak expressions can be found in the work of even the best writers. The effect overall depends upon whether the weak expressions are few or many. A new writer had best revise all the weak expressions he or she can find because he or she will not have the skills to recognize all of the weak expressions nor to improve all the weak expression he or she does recognize.

Q. Alright, what are the weak words or expressions to look for?
Q. But My novel is written in the first person, and my character is not supposed to be especially well educated or formal. I intend for my character to be casual and informal. The tone I want will be spoiled if I revise my character's loose expressions, won't it?