The idea stage of writing is wild and crazy and full of possibility. Research is exciting detective work. The writing stage is focused, with the writer letting the story evolve organically. Subsequent drafts demand different skills and a new set of eyes/perspective each time the book is reworked.

The act of revising can wear some writers down because it can be so hard to "get it right." This week, I've made up a process that feels a bit like Rummikub, "the fast moving rummy tile game." Here's how it works with my book:
1) Write down every single scene using Martha Alderson's "seven essentials scene tracker"
2) Add thematic significance and protagonist emotional growth to any scenes missing (this part was actually fun)
3) Chart out the scenes on Alderson's "plot planner" model
4) Discern which scenes are not working or necessary
5) Figure out where the Crisis and Climax should go, given the number of pages in my novel
6) Rearrange scenes to make #3 balance out better and get maximum emotional oomph and meaning

#6 is where Rummikub comes in. In case you've never played the game (a favorite of both sets of grandparents in our family), the most fun games are where one player figures out an "If I do this move here, then that sets up that move there" run that changes everything on the table. These moves must be figured out in one's head before one begins to move tiles around, and even then, a player often discovers too late that he or she had not figured everything out exactly right...and then, has to try to recreate the table full of tile combinations that existed before the player tried out the brilliant idea.  When it works, this gamble results in a win. When it doesn't work, other players groan in dismay and the player gets penalized.

I wrote out a brief description of all of my novel's scenes on small pieces of paper, laid them out in order on a table, then pondered. And pondered. I'd glance at my large-scale Plot Planner to see how things currently were, study the scraps of paper on the table, and make a move. A scene might get pushed earlier or later or out of the book. So as not to get caught in the Rummikub dilemma if the final combination didn't work out and I needed to get things back in the original order, I kept a chart of my moves that ended up looking like this:
     15a
     15b
     22d
     16a
     24c

and on and on. Then I did a cut and paste of every scene to move it to the new location, hoping that I could keep it all straight and that it made sense. This of course meant changing chapter headings, double-checking average chapter length, and writing some new scenes.

And now, in the days to come, I'll  look at the novel in its present incarnation before sending it off to new readers. Let's hope I can write the right new scenes and pull together a cohesive whole that works. I'll keep you posted...