Project 2012: When Bob becomes Judith

One of the benefits of doing the initial read-through is that you can see the contrast between your characters at the beginning and your characters at the end.  When you finish a draft, you remember the characters as they are at the end.  But reading through the first part of the novel can be a surprise.  Wow, was my character really that whiny?  When did they change goals like that?  Oh my gosh, what happened to her new pizza store?  Why is she running an auto repair shop?

The characters we have in our head before we write are static, but as soon as they touch the story, they become dynamic beings, acting on goals, reacting to events, learning and growing until, at the end of the story, they are changed for better or for worse.  That’s part of what story is; change in your character.

What you need to identify in revision are those parts of the character that changed not because of the story, but because you found a greater truth in your character.  Somewhere along the way you decided that Bob should be a florist, not an air-force pilot, because it’s more truthful to who he is.

And it’s quite easy to forget, when you write “The End”, that your character started the novel with the goal to work her way out of debt with a slightly dodgy mail-order business.  But reading back, you realised (usually around 25-30k words in, I find) that it is more true to the character for her to find her missing sister and address the cause of her destitution, which is her unrelenting punishment of all friends and family, but ultimately herself.

So what do you do with a character who started as A, but really should have started as B?  Usually it means a serious rewrite of the beginning of the book.  You need to bring your knowledge of the character back and revisit his/her actions before the remodel.  Look at her goals, her self, her reactions.  Do they match the character you have written at the end of the book?  Keep that person in mind as you revisit the events of the story.

Characters suddenly getting “interesting” after the first third of the novel is a fairly common comment in reviews, and it comes down to authors not aligning the person at the end of the book with the person at the beginning.  Don’t make that mistake.  Just as plots need to be tightened and trimmed, so do characters need to be fully realised from beginning to end.

Small miracles

37,000 words into the read through and I finally found a scene that might, just might be good enough to make it into the second draft.

Halle-freakin’-luljah.

 

 

Project 2012: Scheduling Quarter 1

I’ve been happily pottering along in my revision, and realised today while talking to Cassie that it’s already halfway through January and I haven’t posted a timeline for those who are looking for guidance.

Quarter one, as you may recall, is all about the big picture of our story.  In the first 3 months, we’re aiming to gain a better understanding of the story journey, the character arcs and the flow of events.

We’re also writing the first draft of a second novel, so by the end of March we should be at least 10,000 words into the draft.

If you’re currently panicking, relax.  This is a very modest proposal.  The first quarter is all about thinking and exploring, both in the revision and in the first draft (unless you are continuing a half-finished draft, in which case, just keep going).  There’s not a lot of actual writing time, just lots of notes, jotting down ideas, and spending time in your own head.

The important part is to spend some time with your story each day.  It could be in the shower, or driving to work, or a dedicated time in the morning/evening.  Just remember to keep a notebook handy to jot down those lightning bolts of inspiration.  But keep it all ticking over in your head and your subconscious will come out to play with all sorts of ideas and solutions to make your story stronger.

This stage is very important.  We’re trying to get deeper into the story and the characters, to move beyond a simple edit of sentences and structure, to actually identify the weak points of our stories and characters, and make them stronger.  And that is a fully creative exercise.  The more technical part comes later.  For now, we want to be creating, as if we were writing the draft from scratch.

And that’s why it’s easy at this stage to start your second draft.  The brain is in creative mode.  We are already brainstorming one story, so it’s easy to brainstorm another.  So we develop the two stories in tandem.  By the time we get to the technical part of the revision, we will have enough momentum on the new story to keep writing through our editing process.

You might think that you can’t brainstorm two stories at once.  You might be concerned that the stories will meld together in your head into one single story.  It is a valid concern, but one that we can work around, using the following strategies.

1. Make sure the stories are significantly different.

Don’t try to write two high-fantasy stories at the same time.  If you are revising a sword-and-sorcery extravaganza, think about writing an urban fantasy.  Or if you are writing in the same genre, make sure that the stories and protagonists are different enough that you won’t get confused.  I’m revising a science fiction story with a male protagonist and writing a science fiction story with a female protagonist.  One is a political thriller, one is space opera.  They have nothing in common, other than being set in space.

2. Keep your notes separate

Get a different notebook for each story.  Stick pictures on the outside to represent the story, something visual that will cue you in when you pick it up.  This helps your brain click over to the right story before you even begin writing.  If you use spreadsheets, colour the backgrounds.  Use any visual trick you can to get you into the right story at the right time.

3. Spend time in blocks

If you find it hard to have 2 stories running at once, or you struggle to switch between stories, consider working on them in blocks.  Spend 3 weeks on one story, then switch.  As a bonus, when you come back to the first story, you will often find that working on the second story has allowed your subconscious to come up with all sorts of interesting ideas on the first story.

4. Go with the inspiration

If you really, really can’t focus on two stories, then let your inspiration lead you.  Work on one until you get tired of it or stuck, and then switch to the other.  If inspiration hits, go with it.  This isn’t the most practical way to do things, but who said being creative ever followed the rules?  In the end, the process has to work for you.

So now, some dates and times.  These are a very, very loose guideline to make sure you progress towards the next stage.  Work out the timing that suits you, but no matter what, keep moving.  Keep thinking and writing.  If you’re 2 weeks in and you’ve not made any significant progress, then you might need to set yourself more stringent daily goals.  Work with what you need.

January 31:

Revision: Read-through of manuscript completed.  Plot and character spreadsheets completed.  Should have significant notes on what needs to be changed, and might also have some ideas from brainstorming.  By now you will know everything about your first draft, and where the weak points are.

First draft: Main characters should be solid.  General outline of story, type, location, outcome.  Plotting may have started.  By now you will know what story you are going to write, and how.

February 29:

Revision: New plot outline, connecting hook and climax should be complete and solid.  All character arcs showing growth and characters de-cliched.

First draft: Plotter: Outline should be ready to go.  Pantsers: Why aren’t you writing?

March 31:

Revision: Getting into the nitty gritty of theme, message, tension mapping and beats.  Scenes rearranged for maximum impact.  All these should be firmed up ready for Quarter 2.

First draft: Plotter: You should be 10,000 words in at least.  Pantser: Why aren’t you writing?

Like I said, it’s loose.  But you will find that you can’t just work on one thing at a time.  All parts of the revision are interconnected.  So look for general progress, rather than “I’ve finished that bit”.

Good luck!  Questions and panicking in the comments.

Project 2012: Writing resources

When I’m revising, I usually eschew novels for “how to write” books.  For one thing, they are easier to put down.  I also find that reading them triggers my brain to plot and scheme.  And while most of the information isn’t new for anyone who has been writing for a while, you can usually pick up something new, or even just a good quote to keep you motivated.

So here are two books I have read in the last few days. I picked them up cheap from the Kindle store, just to see what they were like.

Dialogue: More Than Just Talk by Lori Devoti

More than just talk is a very fast overview of some of the problems that lead to bad dialogue. The information is brief but to the point, and if the writer addressed even half of them it would greatly improve their dialogue.

It seems to be aimed more at beginning than experienced writer, but is worth a read just to refresh.

There’s also a bonus article on improving the first few lines of your novel, which is quite good. Overall well worth the price.

The CT Method of Revision and Editing by David B. Schlosser

The CT method outlines a fairly intensive method of revising a manuscript to prepare for publication. Schlosser is an editor with experience and starts off with the reasons why an author should revise their own manuscript first before paying an editor. He also talks about why self-publishers should revise hard.

Schlosser’s method is intense and makes use of a lot of editorial tools and tricks. He does recommend the use of Microsoft Word and the grammar and spelling tools quite extensively. This is not a negative; Schlosser outlines how Word can be a good time-saving tool for the self-editor.  The section on tension development and plot is very good. Though none of this is really new, it’s all well-presented in a succinct, matter-of-fact tone.

I would have paid more for this book, knowing the information that it holds. It’s a very structured method, but I have no doubt that it would be very effective.  Very well written and worth adding to your library.

Your turn!  Tell us about your favourite writing resource book.  Either post a review on your blog or link to a review you have written in the comments.

Project 2012 page…

I’ve made a page listing all the participants and a link to the P2012 posts.  Either look to the right or get to it from the submenu under my name at the top.

Project 2012: Dealing with problems. Big problems.

If you’re even a couple of chapters into your revision, it’s likely that you’ve run into some major issues.  And the further in you get, the worse it is.  The issues pile up and pile up and you think “how am I going to fix this?”

If your revision is looking just a little bit overwhelming (or maybe a great big lump overwhelming), then here are some tips, suggestions, advice and encouragements to keep you going.

1. My manuscript is crap

You’re reading through your manuscript.  So far you’ve found a couple of okay scenes, but mostly you’re just cringing.  The story is all over the place.  The characters are cliche.  The plot is like something out of Days of our Lives crossed with Star Trek (the original series) crossed with Two and a Half Men.  You can’t read this any longer.  Your dreams are in tatters.  What made you think you could write?  You are on the verge of an artistic hissy fit, or perhaps the biggest and most awful case of fear-induced writer’s block ever.  This could last you for years.

If this is your first revision, then you might not have come across these feelings before.  Relax.  They are valid feelings.  And your manuscript probably is crap.  Most first drafts are.

Take heart.  A bad first draft is not the end of the world.  And if it makes you feel any better, the thing I am reading at the moment is truly, utterly horrible.  I wrote it 2 years ago, and it is bad.  Bottom-of-the-slush-pile bad.

So what do you do when you think your story is unrecoverable?

1. Read it through with open eyes

Force yourself to read it anyway.  The good thing is, in a critical state of mind, you are more likely to spot the problems.  Spot them all.  Write them down in your spreadsheet.  Make copious notes about what is bad about the story.  Keep reading.

2. Stay positive

First drafts are just that – your first try at the story.  Don’t be down on yourself.  Be brutal with the story, but separate the story from the writer. If you start getting low, remind yourself of all your writing achievements.  If you’re light on for those, look at nice critiques you have received.  If all else fails, call your writing buddy and weep pathetically down the phone.  Then go back and keep reading.

3. Find the original spark

Think back to what made you want to write the story in the first place.  What was the scene or the moment or the idea or the concept that so excited you that you launched into an entire novel?  Find that, write it down, stick it on your monitor.

Then go back and keep reading.

4. Remember your goals

Why are you doing this again?  Oh right.  Whether it’s to finally revise a manuscript, or whether it’s to embark on the long haul of submitting your work, or whether it’s just shaping up a manuscript to self-publish, remind yourself why you decided to do this in the first place.

Then go back and keep reading.

5. Toughen up, princess.

If all else fails, grit your teeth and stick to it.  No-one said this was going to be easy.

6. Actual practical advice

In the end, once you have read through the horror, you will have to make the final decision on whether or not the work is actually worth revising.  And it comes down to this.

Do you love the story/concept/character enough that you are willing to rewrite it?  Even if you need to rewrite ALL of it?

Some people will be lucky enough to get away with rewriting half of it.  Most of us will end up rewriting up to 75% of the original draft, if you do it properly.  And some unlucky few will have to rewrite the entire thing.

That’s me at the moment.  I’m looking at about a 90% cull rate so far.  It’s not looking good.

But I love it enough to keep going.  Do you?

2. My writing is pug-ugly

Is it the grammar?  Have you written EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE with a dangling modifier?  Does your entire manuscript consist of words of 4 letters or less?  Do you have scenes that are pages long but only contain exposition?

I just read a 2000 word scene that looks like I have never heard of the maxim “show, don’t tell”.  Seriously.  Even I was falling asleep reading it, and I wrote it.

But in the sphere of revision, writing problems are EASY. If the worst you are facing is having to rewrite a scene in a different tense, or reformatting all your sentences, or changing from passive to active voice, you have nothing to worry about.  Sure, it might be hard work, but nowhere near as hard as having to rewrite an entire scene from scratch.

So if your manuscript is full of bad writing, don’t stress.  By the time you get around to it (quarter 3, ages away if you are following the 2012 plan) your plot will be so tight, your characters so well-motivated that you’ll just be filling in the holes, putting on a coat of paint and putting up some soft furnishings.

3. Nobody is doing what they’re told

Characters.  The lifeblood of your story, and the most troublesome, annoying, unmanageable entities you will ever encounter.  Which says a lot about writers, when you realise that we’re the ones who dreamed them up in the first place.

1. Cliche

Does your villain have an eye-patch?  Does he actually say “I’ll get you my pretty!”  Does he have a limp, body odour and a tendency towards spandex?

Cliche characters are the death of a story, but they can be fixed. Make a note every time you encounter a character acting like an archetype instead of a person.  Then when you are sorting out your characters, give them depth and heart and motivation and watch the cliches disappear.

If you’re not sure how to do that, we’ll be holding a workshop on Characters in a month or so.  Stay tuned!

2. Overpopulation

Very bad, and easy to do when you write on the fly.  I’m 10 chapters in and I have 27 characters.  Seriously.  Most of them are only cameos, but it’s still too many.

This is where your character list is invaluable.  Make a note of what each character does.  You will find at the end that you can have one character do several “jobs” within the story.  So go through and see where you can turn 3 characters into one.  Also check to see that you really need a name for that character.  If it’s a single encounter, then replace the name with a description.  If your character is buying bread, “the baker” will do instead of “Bob Jones”.  If the reader doesn’t need to know them, don’t give them a name.

3. Goals and motivations

Is your main character floundering about?  It may not be a plot problem, it may be a character problem.  What does the character want?  If he’s trying to rescue his kidnapped sister, but you’ve got him shopping for a new kitchen, it’s going to feel false.  Check that the actions reflect the characters needs, wants and goals.  Once you’ve mapped them all out, it should be easy to pick up where things aren’t right.

4. I don’t have a plot

Sure you do.  It just might not be very good.

Here, again, the spreadsheet is your saviour.  Once you have written down the events in each chapter, you can get a clear overview of the pathway from beginning to end and identify where you need work.  Where the events take a sudden right turn.  Where you lack tension.  Where you don’t have a cause for your effect.  Where you don’t have an effect for your cause.

Plot is also one of the easier things to fix.  Just think cause and effect.  If your antagonist blows up a bridge, it’s going to have flow-on effects.  If the protagonist’s partner was on the bridge at the time, then you have a plot event that impacts on character motivation.  And the next event will flow on neatly from there, depending on who the character is and what they want.

Feeling better?

Manuscript problems aren’t the end of the world, so don’t let them get to you.  They are problems to be faced and corrected.  Nothing you find in your read-through is unfixable.  Some things are just harder to fix than others.

So how are you going?  Have you run into any big problems yet?  Let me know how you have dealt with them, or if you haven’t, now is a good time to cry for help.

Project 2012: First check-in

So have you started yet?  Have you pulled out the old manuscript, blown off the dust and opened the first page?  Have you developed your spreadsheet and started to read Chapter 1?  (If you want more information in your spreadsheet, have a look at the one developed by Kerryn.)

Or have you looked at this daunting task and wandered off to re-organise the bathroom cupboard contents by colour?

Or maybe you are caught up in plotting your new novel?  How’s that going?

This is a check-in post!  If you are participating, write a comment on your progress. This is also an opportunity to ask for help from myself and the other writers who are participating, or talk about some aspect of revision or writing that you would like more information on.

Talk about your fears and aspirations.  Get excited!  And if you haven’t already, pull out those manuscripts and get started.

 

Online Classes and Workshops For 2012 | The World Remains Mysterious

Cat Rambo, previously the editor of Fantasy Magazine and a well-published author of short stories, is offering a selection of writing classes on her blog. These are NOT TO BE MISSED if you are a writer of SFF. The price is very reasonable for what you are getting – face-to-face access to an incredibly talented and experienced writer and editor.

These are taught online, using Google+ Hangouts, which has proven really robust and easy to use. You need a computer with a microphone at a minimum but a webcam is best, so people can see you participate. Each class is limited to eight or nine students, depending on whether or not there will be a guest speaker.

Don’t hesitate, because these classes fill up very fast.
Online Classes and Workshops For 2012 | The World Remains Mysterious.

Project 2012: Starting your revision, Step 1: The read-through

I’ll start with a caveat, because this post is composed of writing advice.  What you read here is my method, and it works for me.  I’m fully behind it, because it’s tried and tested and (my favourite word) efficient.  Nothing drives me nuts more than wasting time, so this method is designed to reduce time wasting and repetition as much as possible.

You don’t have to use it.  That’s not what I’m saying.  But if you don’t know where to start, or you don’t have your own solid method, then you are welcome to give this one a try.

I break all my revising into 3 parts:

• big picture – the story, hook, climax
• parts – chapters, scenes
• language – word use, grammar, voice and style

I revise this way because there is nothing more frustrating than spending a week working on a scene, only to realise that it needs to be cut.  Ugh.  Waste of time!  It also means that I don’t get bogged down in the nitty-gritty of sentences when I’m still surrounded by hulking great plot holes.  It’s fast, efficient and means you shouldn’t need to revisit something once it has been fixed.  Of course there are always exceptions, but let’s reduce the back and fill as much as possible.

Step 1: the read through

I try not to sit down and read the story through in one sitting.  Because then I get into reading mode, and it’s easy to get a picture of your story that is not truthful.  It’s about seeing what’s there, not what you think is there.

So when I read through, I do it chapter by chapter, and I have a spreadsheet open beside me.  the spreadsheet has the following columns:

Chapter name/number	Location	Synopsis	Major plot events	Character arc	Notes

As I read, I fill in the table.  If I have nothing to put in a cell, I leave it blank.  I use the notes column to remind myself of things that jump out at me, for example, when I can see a character is weak, where I need to increase the tension.  I don’t fix them, I just note them.  If timing is important to your story, you might also put a time column in.

This spreadsheet, once completed, is a powerful document.  Your entire story, distilled down into events.  Not only can you use it for revision, you can use an updated version to help you write your query and synopsis.  Spend some time on it – it will make your revision much easier.

Also, as I read I make a list of characters as soon as they turn up, with a brief note on relations.  Sometimes I already have a character list, but as you write characters sometimes just turn up.  This makes sure that you know ALL of the characters in your story.

One thing that is vitally important is not to get caught up in words.  Not now.  Clunky sentences?  Ignore them.  Grammar, spelling, voice, language, the lot.  Ignore them.  Because if you start fiddling with it now, there’s a good chance that (a) you will get caught up in the minutae and miss the big picture, and (b) you’ll have to scrap your changes anyway.  So resist the urge.  Even if you get a blinding flash of inspiration.  It will come back.  Jot it down and move on.

Once I’ve read the whole story through, I do 2 more things.  I write down the story question (also known as the inciting incident) and the climax.  So for example, in Lord of the Rings, the story question would be “can Frodo destroy the ring before Sauron takes over the world?”  the climax, of course, is Frodo destroying the ring.

Have a look at your story question and your climax.  Do they match?  If your story starts with “Can Frodo destroy the ring?” but ends with “Frodo and Sam get married and live happily ever after”, well, you may have lost your way somewhat.

If your question and climax line up, great.  If not, have a good look at your story.  What do you need to change to bring them together?  Do you need to change the climax, or do you need to adjust the beginning of the story to match the end?  Which is better?  Which feels more real?  Don’t start writing, think.  Do all the work in your head.

Check the pathways for your plot and subplots.  Do they run smoothly?  Do they intertwine?  Are there any plots left dangling that need tidying up?  Do your characters grow and change?  Do they react to events in the story? (Very important!)  Does every event have an impact on characters and the world, and lead to future events?

Keep the writing to a minimum, but identify on your spreadsheet where you need to change things, and what needs to change.  Use colours to highlight plots, character arcs, weak points, good points.  Spend a lot of time thinking about your story and what you need to change. 

Next post, I’ll talk about mapping tension in the story and a little bit about plot arcs and character development.

It’s the new year

I have a number of goals for this year, but of course the writing one you already know: Project 2012.

I can see my manuscript if I look to the left.  Every time I look, I get a little wriggle of excitement in my gut.

It’s going to be a great year.

How are you feeling?  Ready?  Excited?  Overwhelmed?

Leave a comment with your writing goals for 2012.

Oh, and happy new year!

Fireworks on the Story Bridge, Brisbane.