cutting the crap.

i've recently begun reading noah lukeman's 'the first five pages', and right off i know it's the book to save me and my gimpy novel. a quick excerpt:



"The main audience for this book, though, is you, the writer. Along with the criteria, this book offers an in-depth look at the technique and thought processes behind writing and has been designed to be of interest to the beginning and advanced writer alike . . ." (p. 14)



see, this is what i need. i can use help with grammar and style (thanks strunk & white--you guys rock the tizzypewriter), but even more, i could benefit from learning more about structuring a larger work. like a novel. the second chapter ends with a simple but eye-opening exercise regarding adverbs and adjectives--otherwise known as the writer's crutches.


from page 39:


"Remove every adjective and adverb from the first page of your manuscript and list them separately."


then, a bit farther along in the exercise:


"Look at your list of removed adjectives and adverbs . . . Cross out each one and beside it write down a less expected replacement."


sounds so obvious, right? i know.

so, i tried this first exercise. here are a few of my original adjectives/adverbs:

narrow, shallow, looming, spandex, muttered, belay, quiet, raw . . . you get the idea.

not horrible, but not terribly striking, either.
taking the manuscript apart and rebuilding to make it stronger; i've been hesitant to try this, concerned about the reassembly phase. i keep imagining the manuscript components articulated all over my desk and me standing over them, overwhelmed by a slow panic. *shudder* terrifying.

now, i have hope anew. check out noah lukeman's 'the first five pages' (isbn:068485743x).
http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Pages-Writers-Rejection/dp/068485743X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235884087&sr=8-1