Taking Stock with a Writing Self-Evaluation

It’s that time of year again. The humidity of hurricane season with its heavy heat is peaking and the dread seeping from kids (and teachers!) long at summer play is palpable – school is right around the corner. Before jumping into the chaotic maelstrom of another academic year, I find it useful to take stock of my writing life for fear that I lose sight of it over the next ten months.

First, I assess where I’ve come this year in terms of my goals and re-adjust them for the rest of the year, but I won’t get into that here. The other item I like to assess is my fiction writing. Has it improved? If so, where have those improvements been and where can I still do better?

How, you may ask, do I accomplish this task of taking stock? As it so often does in education, the answer lies with an exercise! I like this exercise not only because of its value to my craft, but also because it tasks you with going back to those abandoned projects you have lying around. Perhaps one of those nuggets of coal will transform into a diamond by the time you’re done or prompt the inspiration needed on another project.

For the exercise, re-write something that you haven’t touched in at least a year. Take a short story or a scene (about 2,000 words, give or take) and re-write it from scratch. Don’t re-read the original work first, try to write it from your memory. If need be, skim over the piece quickly about a week prior to doing this exercise to refresh your memory on the main gist. You want the re-write to be as fresh as possible, so don’t linger over the original writing too much. At least, not yet.

After the re-write, sit on it for a day or two. When you’re ready, grab your editing tools, maybe some wine or tea, and re-read the original story/scene. Mark anything that doesn’t work (suggestions below.) Take note of the style and flow. Once that is done, immediately read the new piece and do the same evaluation. Finally, compare notes to locate where you see improvement and to identify where you still struggle.

Aim to do this exercise once a year to track your progress and keep your writing focused. Pick the area where you see the greatest weakness and spend a few months focused on improving that single aspect of your writing, then move on to another until you return to this exercise next year.

What types of things should you keep an eye out for? Everything from style to structure. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• How well balanced is your showing versus your telling?
• How well balanced is your use of adverbs and “weak” verbs?
• Are your characters believable in action and conversation?
• Does the scene build tension and/or achieve its goal?
• How is the flow of the scene?
• Does the scene start strong?
• Does the scene end strong with a hook to keep the reader interested?
• Are the descriptions (scene exposition, character details, etc.) sufficient? Is there too little? Too much?
• Assess your use of clichés and tropes.
• Which version read better to you, the old or the new? Why?

I hope this exercise helps your art become even more beautiful than it already is. Good luck and happy writing!