As I discussed in the last post, reconsolidating is the final stage that we'll be looking at this month in the editing process. That's not to say, however, that it's the last thing you'll do to your story. After making any changes, make sure to go through and edit again - sometimes changing even one word can make a sentence incorrect.
What is reconsolidating?
Reconsolidating your work means looking at what you set out to create, and comparing it to what you've actually created - they may be more different than you realised.
When to reconsolidate?
Once you've finished writing and editing your story, near the end of your process.
How to reconsolidate?
Before you start the editing process, write a list of the things that are most important to you and your story. These might include a specific theme, scene, phrase, character point, etc.
Once you've "finished" editing your work, go back to that list and see how many of these things that were important are still in your story. Some points you might be able to cross off as they have become trivial, but some points you might realise you've gotten rid of without meaning to. For example, you might have cut a scene which revealed your character's favourite flower, which may have some significance to you or someone important to you.
Once you've identified the points you need to add back in, go through the old versions of your story and find these parts. See if you can find suitable places to add them back in, or if not, make sure you've saved them somewhere obvious to use in another story.
Happy writing!
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