How to Write a Novel. Part 9: The Final Layer
Summary
- Mastering sentence rhythm and vary structure to enhance engagement.
- Tighten dialogue and trim scenes, ensuring every word and moment is essential to advancing the plot or revealing character.
- Polish your opening and final pages to deliver an immediate hook and a lasting impression.
Sentence Rhythm and Chapter Flow
The final layer of revision elevates your prose, focusing on sentence rhythm and chapter flow. Sentence rhythm is the musicality of your writing—the interplay of short, punchy sentences with longer, more complex ones. Varying sentence length and structure keeps the reader engaged and prevents monotony.
Read your work aloud to catch awkward phrasing, unintended repetitions, or clunky rhythms. Chapter flow refers to how smoothly readers move from one chapter to the next. Ensure each chapter ends with a hook or a compelling reason to continue, and that the opening of the next chapter quickly reorients the reader and maintains momentum.
Think of each chapter as a wave, building to a peak and then receding to prepare for the next.
Dialogue Tightening and Scene Trimming
Effective revision also involves dialogue tightening and scene trimming. Tightening dialogue means removing unnecessary words, redundant exchanges, and dialogue that doesn’t advance the plot or reveal character. Aim for conversations that sound natural yet are concise and impactful.
Eliminate small talk unless it serves a specific purpose. Scene trimming means cutting anything that isn’t essential to the scene’s purpose. Ask yourself: Does this scene advance the plot? Does it reveal new character information? Does it build theme or tension? If a scene or part of a scene doesn’t earn its place, it should be cut or condensed.
This ruthless approach ensures every word and every moment contributes to the overall narrative.
Opening Pages: The Book’s First Promise
Your opening pages are the book’s first promise to the reader. They establish the tone, genre, voice, and central conflict, and they need to hook the reader immediately.
Focus on clarity in the first few paragraphs: introduce your protagonist and their immediate situation without overwhelming the reader with too much backstory. Create a sense of urgency or intrigue that compels them to turn the page.
Polish these pages. Every word must justify its presence. Craft each line to instantly establish the novel’s voice and set clear expectations. Agents, publishers, and readers often decide within these first few pages whether to continue.
Final Pages: The Reader’s Last Impression
The final pages are your last, deliberate act in shaping the reader’s enduring memory of your novel. To make them truly resonate, focus on delivering a concentrated emotional experience.
Instead of stating outcomes, use carefully chosen imagery, a character’s final unspoken thought, or a concluding action that speaks volumes about the story’s core truth. Bring the thematic threads you’ve woven throughout the narrative to their culmination here.
Do this by echoing key symbols, images, or phrases from earlier in the story, giving them a new, deeper resonance in the final moments. Don’t just resolve plot; let the ending amplify the emotional arc characters have taken.
The final pages are not merely an exit from the story, but an invitation for the reader to carry its essence and lingering feelings long after they’ve turned the last page.