Now that we've had some time off from the frenzy of writing that was November, we need to get back to those drafts and - yike - see what we've got.
Remember,
the most important thing is taking enough time off from that draft.
But now that you have taken the time off… how the hell do you proceed
with the second draft?
Well,
first you have to read the first draft. All the way through. Not
necessarily in one sitting (if that’s even possible to begin with!). I
usually do this in chunks of 50 pages or 100 pages a day – anything else
makes my brain sore.
(And yes, if you’ve been paying attention (The Three Act Structure and The Eight Sequence Structure), that would mean I’m either reading one sequence or two sequences a day).
I
picked up a tip from some book or article a long time ago about reading
for revisions, and I wish I could remember who said it to credit them,
because it’s great advice. Grab yourself a colored pen or pencil (or all
kinds of colors, glitter pens - go wild) and sit down with a stack of
freshly printed pages (sorry, it’s ungreen, but I can’t do a first
revision on a screen. I need a hard copy). Then read through and make
brief notes where necessary, but DO NOT start rewriting, and PUT THE PEN
DOWN as soon as you’ve made a note. You want to read the first time
through for story, not for stupid details that will interrupt your
experience of the story as a whole. You want to get the big picture –
especially – you want to see if you actually have a book (or film, if
that’s what you’re writing).
If
your drafts are anything like mine, there will be large chunks of
absolute shit. That’s pretty much my definition of what a first draft
is. X them out on the spot if you have to, but resist the temptation to
stop and rewrite. Well, if you REALLY are hot to write a scene, I guess,
okay, but really, unless you are totally, fanatically inspired, it’s
better just to make brief notes.
When
you’ve finished reading there should - hopefully! - be the feeling that
even though you probably still have massive amounts of work yet to do,
there is a book there. (I love that feeling…)
Once I’ve read through the entire thing, I make notes about my impressions, and then usually I will do a re-card (see The Index Card Method).
I will have made many scribbled notes on the draft to the effect of
“This scene doesn’t work here!” In some of my first drafts, whole
sections don’t work at all. This is my chance to find the right places
for things. And, of course, throw stuff out.
I
will go through the entire book again – going back and forth between my
pages and the cards on my story grid - and see where the story elements
fall. There is no script or book I’ve ever written that didn’t benefit
from a careful overview once again identifying act breaks, sequence
climaxes, and key story elements like: The Call to Adventure; Stating
the Theme; identifying the Central Question; Central Action and Plan;
Crossing the Threshold; Meeting the Mentor; the Dark Night of the Soul -
once the first draft is actually finished. A lot of your outline may
have changed, and you will be able to pull your story into line much
more effectively if you check your structural elements again and
continually be thinking of how you can make those key scenes more
significant, more magical.
(For
a quick refresher on Story Elements, skip down to #10 at the bottom of
this post, and the links at the end for more in-depth discussion.)
Also,
be very aware of what your sequences are. If a scene isn’t working, but
you know you need to have it, it’s probably in the wrong sequence, and
if you look at your story overall and at what each sequence is doing,
you’ll probably be able to see immediately where stray scenes need to
go. That’s why re-carding and re-sequencing is such a great thing to do
when you start a revision.
Now, the next steps can be taken in whatever order is useful to you, but here again are the Top Ten Things I Know About Editing.
1. Cut, cut, cut.
When
you first start writing, you are reluctant to cut anything. Believe me,
I remember. But the truth is, beginning writers very, very, VERY often
duplicate scenes, and characters, too. And dialogue, oh man, do
inexperienced writers duplicate dialogue! The same things happen over
and over again, are said over and over again. It will be less painful
for you to cut if you learn to look for and start to recognize when
you’re duplicating scenes, actions, characters and dialogue. Those are
the obvious places to cut and combine.
Some
very wise writer (unfortunately I have no idea who) said, “If it occurs
to you to cut, do so.” This seems harsh and scary, I know. Often I’ll
flag something in a manuscript as “Could cut”, and leave it in my draft
for several passes until I finally bite the bullet and get rid of it.
So, you know, that’s fine. Allow yourself to CONSIDER cutting something,
first. No commitment! Then if you do, fine. But once you’ve considered
cutting, you almost always will. It's okay if you bitch about it all the
way to the trash file, too - I always do.
2. Find a great critique group.
This
is easier said than done, but you NEED a group, or a series of readers,
who will commit themselves to making your work the best it can be, just
as you commit the same to their work. Editors don’t edit the way they
used to and publishing houses expect their authors to find friends to do
that kind of intensive editing. Really.
3. Do several passes.
Finish
your first draft, no matter how rough it is. Then give yourself a break
— a week is good, two weeks is better, three weeks is better than that —
as time permits. Then read, cut, polish, put in notes. Repeat. And
repeat again. Always give yourself time off between reads if you can.
The closer your book is to done, the more uncomfortable the unwieldy
sections will seem to you, and you will be more and more okay with
getting rid of them. Read on for the specific kinds of passes I
recommend doing.
4. Whatever your genre is, do a dedicated pass focusing on that crucial genre element.
For
a thriller: thrills and suspense. For a mystery: clues and misdirection
and suspense. For a comedy: a comedic pass. For a romance: a sex pass.
Or “emotional” pass, if you must call it that. For horror… well, you get
it.
I
write suspense. So after I’ve written that first agonizing bash-through
draft of a book or script, and probably a second or third draft just to
make it readable, I will at some point do a dedicated pass just to amp
up the suspense, and I highly recommend trying it, because it’s amazing
how many great ideas you will come up with for suspense scenes (or comic
scenes, or romantic scenes) if you are going through your story JUST
focused on how to inject and layer in suspense, or horror, or comedy, or
romance. It’s your JOB to deliver the genre you’re writing in. It’s
worth a dedicated pass to make sure you’re giving your readers what
they’re buying the book for.
5. Know your Three Act Structure.
If
something in your story is sagging, it is amazing how quickly you can
pull your narrative into line by looking at the scene or sequence you
have around page 100 (or whatever page is ¼ way through the book), page
200, (or whatever page is ½ way through the book), page 300 (or whatever
page is ¾ through the book) and your climax. Each of those scenes
should be huge, pivotal, devastating, game-changing scenes or sequences
(even if it’s just emotional devastation). Those four points are the
tentpoles of your story.
6.
Do a dedicated DESIRE LINE pass in which you ask yourself for every
scene: “What does this character WANT? Who is opposing her/him in this
scene? Who WINS in the scene? What will they do now?”
7.
Do a dedicated EMOTIONAL pass, in which you ask yourself in every
chapter, every scene, what do I want my readers to FEEL in this moment?
8.
Do a dedicated SENSORY pass, in which you make sure you’re covering
what you want the reader to see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and sense.
9. Read your book aloud. All of it. Cover to cover.
I
wouldn’t recommend doing this with a first draft unless you feel it’s
very close to the final product, but when you’re further along, the best
thing I know to do to edit a book — or script — is read it aloud. The
whole thing. I know, this takes several days, and you will lose your
voice. Get some good cough drops. But there is no better way to find
errors — spelling, grammar, continuity, and rhythmic errors. Try it,
you’ll be amazed.
10. Finally, and this is a big one: steal from film structure to pull your story into dramatic line.
Some
of you are already well aware that I’ve compiled a checklist of story
elements that I use both when I’m brainstorming a story on index cards,
and again when I’m starting to revise. I find it invaluable to go
through my first draft and make sure I’m hitting all of these points, so
here it is again, for those just finding this post.
STORY ELEMENTS CHECKLIST
ACT ONE
* Opening image
* Meet the hero or heroine
* Hero/ine’s inner and outer desire.
* Hero/ine’s problem
* Hero/ine’s ghost or wound
* Hero/ine’s arc
* Inciting Incident/Call to Adventure
*
Meet the antagonist (and/or introduce a mystery, which is what you do
when you’re going to keep your antagonist hidden to reveal at the end)
* State the theme/what’s the story about?
* Allies
* Mentor (possibly. May not have one or may be revealed later in the story).
* Love interest
* Plant/Reveal (or: Setups and Payoffs)
* Hope/Fear (and Stakes)
* Time Clock (possibly. May not have one or may be revealed later in the story)
* Sequence One climax
* Central Question
* Central Story Action
* Plan (Hero/ine's)
* Villain's Plan
* Act One climax
___________________________
ACT TWO
* Crossing the Threshold/ Into the Special World (may occur in Act One)
* Threshold Guardian (maybe)
* Hero/ine’s Plan
* Antagonist’s Plan
* Training Sequence
* Series of Tests
* Picking up new Allies
* Assembling the Team
* Attacks by the Antagonist (whether or not the Hero/ine recognizes these as being from the antagonist)
* In a detective story, questioning witnesses, lining up and eliminating suspects, following clues.
THE MIDPOINT
* Completely changes the game
* Locks the hero/ine into a situation or action
* Can be a huge revelation
* Can be a huge defeat
* Can be a “now it’s personal” loss
* Can be sex at 60 — the lovers finally get together, only to open up a whole new world of problems
______________________________
ACT TWO, PART TWO
*
Recalibrating — after the shock or defeat of the game-changer in the
Midpoint, the hero/ine must Revamp The Plan and try a New Mode of
Attack.
* Escalating Actions/ Obsessive Drive
* Hard Choices and Crossing The Line (immoral actions by the main character to get what s/he wants)
* Loss of Key Allies (possibly because of the hero/ine’s obsessive actions, possibly through death or injury by the antagonist).
* A Ticking Clock (can happen anywhere in the story)
* Reversals and Revelations/Twists. (Hmm, that clearly should have its own post, now, shouldn't it?)
* The Long Dark Night of the Soul and/or Visit to Death (aka All Is Lost)
THE SECOND ACT CLIMAX
* Often can be a final revelation before the end game: the knowledge of who the opponent really is
* Answers the Central Question
_______________________________
ACT THREE
The
third act is basically the Final Battle and Resolution. It can often be
one continuous sequence — the chase and confrontation, or confrontation
and chase. There may be a final preparation for battle, or it might be
done on the fly. Either here or in the last part of the second act the
hero will make a new, FINAL PLAN, based on the new information and
revelations of the second act.
The essence of a third act is the final showdown between protagonist and antagonist. It is often divided into two sequences:
1. Getting there (storming the castle)
2. The final battle itself
* Thematic Location — often a visual and literal representation of the Hero/ine’s Greatest Nightmare
* The protagonist’s character change
* The antagonist’s character change (if any)
* Possibly allies’ character changes and/or gaining of desire
*
Could be one last huge reveal or twist, or series of reveals and
twists, or series of final payoffs you've been saving (as in BACK TO THE
FUTURE and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE).
*
RESOLUTION: A glimpse into the New Way of Life that the hero/ine will
be living after this whole ordeal and all s/he’s learned from it.
If these story elements are new to you, you’ll want to read:
Elements of Act Three: Elevate Your Ending
Elements of Act Three: What Makes a Great Climax?
Act Climaxes and Turning Points
And
I'll be posting more about how to do different kinds of passes for
particular effect. But for now, I think all of the above should keep you
busy for a few days...
- Alex
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3 comments:
This post couldn't come at a better time. I am working on my nano book from last year and have used your story elements checklist to write my last three books. It makes sense to me and I love it. It is now a permanent part of my rough draft arsenal
The idea of making different passes for things like emotions and sensory details rings true to me. I'm a many drafts kind of girl so doing it this way works for me. I look forward to your next posts on furthering the process.
Page, I'm so glad the separate pass method makes sense to you. Focusing on just one element at a time definitely keeps me calmer and more productive during the rewriting process!
Thanks so much for posting - I'm s lot more motivated to blog when I know people are waiting for more!
Alexandra, thanks so much for this wonderful post! I am fixing dodgy printer cartridges as we speak, and can't wait to print this baby out!
Many thanks again, you are simply awesome! Regards from stormy Dublin.
Nikki.
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