Rewriting Resources

Since I’ve been in rewriting mode these past few months, I thought I’d share of my favorite rewriting resources. I don’t use all of them every time…this is my rewrite toolbox, a collection of fantastic resources to spark my inner editor. And my inner wordsmith, plot doctor, and character designer. :)

• Minding Your 4Ps and QS: One Wordplayer's Approach to Writing the Character-and-Plot-Driven Novel, by John H. Ritter (originally published in The Writer, 2006) –provides a set of questions to apply to each scene to up character actions and motivations
• Don’t Murder Your Mystery, by Chris Roerden – provides “24 fiction-writing  techniques to save your manuscript from turning up D.O.A.”—the best rewriting resource I’ve read
• Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maas – a book chock-full of thoughts on what makes a book great, as well as exercises for ratcheting up characters and conflict. The workbook is the practical companion to the ideas in the book.
• Revision, by Brian Yansky – List of questions to ask during revision process
• “The Essentials of Plot,” by editor Cheryl Klein – provides a great overview of plot, with a “plot checklist” to use after finishing that first draft