If only I’d learned to be a better note-taker throughout my life… I’ve said it a few times over the years, so when I joined the many other Antioch MFA students last December to listen to Rick Moody talk about Revision and Imagination during our residency, I tried my best to take awesome notes. And I think I did well enough (probably not awesome, though) to share those notes here on my blog, mostly because, I think Rick Moody’s 14 Revision Points are priceless for any writer. So, here they are (in very condensed form)…
1. Omit needless words
2. Sacrifice your modifiers (cut the adverbs, reduce adjectives, and focus on verbs and nouns)
3. Consider the rhythm – Sentences that are allowed: simple, compound, complex, compound complex. Sentences not allowed: fragments and run-ons
4. Replace “to be” and “to have”
5. Simplify tenses
6. Spill your parantheticals
7. Avoid alliterations
8. Rethink abstractions
9. Use figurative language sparingly
10. Engage all five senses
11. Cut the last sentence
12. Read the passage out loud
13. Put the draft away (for a few weeks, then read it again)
14. Do #13 12-20 times
And always remember, metaphors are more powerful than similes!
For a great interview with Rick Moody: http://bigthink.com/ideas/22842
