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Step 7

of the Red Pen Editing cycle is to check structure and balance.

The standard structure for a story is beginning / middle / end. Where one ends and the next starts is important. Within each, you’ll have paragraphs and, within those, sentences.

Paragraphs need to be not too short and not too long. Sentences: ditto. And you need transitions to take the reader from one to the next …

Balance

– or looking for balance – is not about equality. Think instead about sandwiches:  dainty cucumber sandwiches or doorstops, jam packed with bacon. Each serves a purpose!

Think too about making music with your words. This brilliant example by the late Gary Provost says it all?

ProWritingAid has a Length report to draw your attention to sentences which are overlong.

An example from NANO 2011 draft: The Ghost Writer

This is another scene from The Ghost Writer, still in draft form, and written in 2011 during NaNoWriMo.

The two sentences underlined are far too long. Over 30 words each. And so easy a mistake to fix?

ProWritingAid works with Scrivener

This is post 5 of my series looking at how ProWritingAid works with Scrivener.

Why not join me on my journey?  If you’d like to trial ProWritingAid and work alongside me in exploring its features, click on any ProWritingAid link on this page.

And? There’s more?

• ProWritingAid offer a free eBook for you to download.
• If you’re interested in learning more about the Red Pen Editing cycle, my book is available on Amazon, only £2.99.

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