Once you have your first, second, third + drafts written and you're set on the overall plot, major scenes and turning points, character growth and transformation, and have a sense of your overall theme, turn your attention to "every word perfect."
I know, by the time you've written countless drafts, you're eager (desperate!) to send your story out for feedback from your agent or to query to entice an agent to request your manuscript. If you can hold back, take the time to print out a hard copy of your novel, memoir, or screenplay and read every word with an analytical mind -- can you pump up that common verb for a punchier one? Substitute that cliche with a fresh way of understanding her sensibilities?
Where a character lives; the clothes she wears; the car she drives; what she keeps in her medicine cabinet; her refrigerator; her make-up bag; choice of pictures on the wall of her apartment, townhouse, or mansion are all an externalization of the character's inner life and mean something.
Authentic Details in the Beginning, Middle, End:
In the Beginning (1/4) of the story, the authentic details you relay reflect the character as she is starting out the story.
In the Middle (1/2), the details shift to reflect her as she journeys into the great unknown.
The authentic details she surrounds herself with at the End (1/4) reveals the character's true, authentic details -- hers and hers alone -- and deepens the reader's understanding of who the character is now = the character's ultimate transformation.
Oh, and now is a great time to grab your pen and pad of paper and follow along with the
Plot Series:How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? to plot your next story. That way, when every word is perfect in the story you're finishing up now, you'll have the next one all plotted and ready to go... That's the plan, anyway... Hope you'll stop by...
For those of you just finding us today, scroll down to Day Twelve for the steps to take and then work your way forward.
For those of you who are preparing for the next draft of your novel, memoir, or screenplay by following the day-by-day suggestions here, how did the read-through go?
I trust you found moments of brilliance. I'm sure you also found lots of clunky writing, passages that at one time made so much sense and now make absolutely no sense at all.
Whatever you found, be gentle with yourself. The first draft of anything is suppose to resemble vomit-on-the-page. The first draft is all about getting words on the page.
Now, take time to rethink your story.
The best way to begin is to reread the Beginning (1/4) and the End (1/4). Look for any connections to deeper meaning and make notes on how best to expand those connections. Search for opportunities to foreshadow in the Beginning what comes at the End.
Forget the Middle for now. The Middle (1/2) is the exotic or unusual world of the story world itself and territory of the antagonists which generally functions in its own unique way. However, the Beginning and the End need to link up. See what you can find.
Scroll down and recheck the list of scenes you created on Day Three. Of the scenes that read in the story, but were NOT listed, which ones can be cut altogether? Of the scenes that WERE listed, how many can be cut altogether?
Check the Plot Planners you created for the Beginning and the End. What scenes do you wish to include that you had forgotten earlier? Add those now.
Keep your focus on the overall meaning of the story while you analyze the Beginning and the End.
Good luck....
If you are just now joining us on this month-long journey of analyzing the plot and structure of the Dramatic Action, Character Emotional Development, and Thematic Significance of a draft of your screenplay, memoir, or novel, Welcome!
To gain the most out of this month, please follow along day-by-day, beginning at Day One (scroll down to find Day One and get started).
The Beginning
The work you did yesterday -- Day Thirteen -- creating a Plot Planner for the Beginning (1/4) of your story -- comes in handy today.
Every writer faces a multitude of choices, two of which are:
1) Deciding where to begin your story
2) Which Point of View to use.
Today we'll go over #1 -- Deciding where to begin your story.
One of the many benefits of
NaNoWriMo is that it forces a writer to keep writing all the way through the first draft to the end. Without this sort of discipline, many writers end up creating a horrible habit for themselves -- the going-back-to-the-beginning syndrome.
NaNoWriMo writers often have less trouble cutting the typical 35-100 pages from their WIP because they haven't invested hundreds of hours of going back to the beginning and starting over again and again and again. That is not to say that cutting any of our work is ever easy, but it's easier if you have not invested umpteen hours and perfected every single word and sentence.
In other words, deciding which scene best starts the story often includes the realization that major cuts are in order.
Once the shock and resistance fades, look over the Beginning scenes you plotted out yesterday. Compare those Beginning scenes to the End scenes you plotted on
Day Eight.
The fact you have completed at least one draft of your story gives you an advantage. You know what the Climax of the story is.
The dramatic action in any story forces the character to transform over time. At the Climax of the story, the character is able to do something she was unable to do at the Beginning of the story. She needed to go through every other scene in or
Welcome to Day Eleven.
In order to achieve the best results from this 2nd Annual International Plot Writing Month, I advise scrolling down to Day One and working your way back to today. As I have explained earlier, this month is completely different in tone and approach to the process you recently used to complete your project's first draft.
Now, rather than give into the mysterious and mystical process of allowing a story to develop, this month is devoted to a more methodical analyzation of the ideas and scenes you have already processed. Whereas the first draft often relies heavily on faith and patience, this month, we ask you to take what you have created and revise it into a form that is satisfying to a reader.
The magic that came in draft one is for you the writer. What comes in subsequent drafts is for the reader.
As for Day Eleven, I am undecided what to cover next: the Beginning (1/4) or the Middle (1/2)?
While I wait for inspiration, I will summarize what we have covered thus far.
Check off what you've accomplished:
1) Managed NOT to read your manuscript --
Day One2) Filled out a Character Plot Profile for your protagonist and major secondary characters and antagonist, if a person --
Day One3) Printed a hard copy of your manuscript and insert in a binder --
Day Two4) Made a list of scenes you remember in your story -- either as plot points or just a list of the events themselves --
Day Three5) Listed themes touched on in your story --
Day Four6) Plotted the major 3 - 7 scenes/event on a Plot Planner --
Day Five7) Considered how the major scenes/events are linked together through Character Emotional Development and Dramatic Action and Thematic Significance --
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 12/3/2009
Blog:
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If you are just joining us, welcome! Begin at Day One (you have to scroll down) and work your way here.
Draft #1 represents a leap of faith; you write without worrying about the outcome. Well, perhaps you worry, but if you're following us here, nonetheless you persevered. Congratulations!
In the Native American tradition, mouse medicine focuses on the attention to detail and runs in about 5- to 6-week cycles. NaNoWriMo writers devote fastidious attention to writing at highly concentrated levels. Like the mouse, when we're in the flow of getting the words on paper, we often neglect other areas.
As you begin winding down, let the words subside and your body return to rest.
Last year at this time, on my approach to the Santa Cruz mountains, I spotted a red-tailed hawk at the tip of a redwood tree, like an angel atop a giant's Christmas tree. Halfway over the mountain, I cringed when a hawk flew into my peripheral vision. Rather than crash, in a swirl of feathers, the hawk steered clear.
Hawks embody visionary powers and guardianship. I invite you to enter into the realm of expressing a higher vision of your story beyond the word level itself. Stand back. See the bigger picture and allow for new ideas.
Today:
- Continue listing the major events or scenes of your story -- it's not necessary to remember every single scene, just the big plot points for now. Remember, no reading the manuscript itself. The big, important scenes should pop out at you. Later when we work with these events in comparison to what you actually wrote, you'll have a better sense of what to cut. Cutting, trimming, paring down the insignificant makes room for the scenes and events that truly drive the story.
- Start a second list. Write down any and all themes that pop up in each event. (Don't strain for these theme ideas. If something comes to you, write it down.) Examples like:
abandonment
poverty
violence
trust
injustice
prejudice
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 12/3/2009
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If you are just joining us, welcome! Begin at Day One and work your way here.
Today, make a list in order of all the major scenes or events you remember writing (don't go back into the manuscript to locate the scenes and/or events. Remember: no reading yet).
That's it for today. We are complying the materials we need for the rest of the month.
For more on scenes development versus summary, go to:
For those of you who have not yet finished the 1st draft of your story, keep writing. I encourage you to reach the end. The Climax will help with the work you do here. While you write, follow the steps outlined here throughout the month. One should not interfere with the other but rather compliment each other. (If you haven't started writing and only have an idea for a story, ignore today's prompt and adapt all future suggestions to fit your needs.)
Today's step is easy. Print out a hard copy of your manuscript. That's it.
As tempting as it is with the manuscript sitting right there in front of you, remember, no reading. Not yet. Let the story sit. Let yourself unplug from the writing side. You are now entering the analytical side.
For those of you who shudder at the thought of structure or run from the concept of plot, I'd like to share Joseph Campbell's words:
"It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life.
Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.
The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to the the source of what you are looking for. The damned thing in the cave that was so dreaded has become the center."
Plot and structure are the jewels. You'll see. Trust the process.
(If you're just joining us today, please read the last couple of posts to catch up.)
By: Martha Alderson, M.A.,
on 12/1/2009
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Welcome to the 2nd Annual International Plot Writing Month
Today begins a month-long opportunity to craft a draft of your writing into a story.
If you participated in NaNoWriMo, first take time to congratulate yourself! You've done what many have talked and dreamed of doing -- you've written an entire story from beginning to end. Celebrate!
Next, craft the project into a coherent piece worthy of publication.
During December, take the steps needed to analyze what you've written and brainstorm for an effortless draft two in January '10.
Revision your project before actually rewriting the manuscript. (This also works for writers without a first draft. Whether you merely have an idea for a story, a few chapters or scenes, just tweak the assignments to make them work for wherever you are in the process.)
Everyday this month, I'll provide plot tips and tricks and inspiration.
No writing required.
Following are a couple of caveats for our month together:
1) Do NOT show anyone what you've written so far. The first draft of any writing project is considered the generative phase. At the end of the generative phase, a writer is often faced with a manuscript full of holes and missteps, confusion and chaos. This is part of the process in that editing and/or an unbridled internal critic in the generative phase risks stifling the muse, which often results in stagnation.
Your first draft is a fragile thread of a dream. You know what you want to convey, well, maybe and sort of. Few writers can adequately communicate a complete vision in the first draft of a story, especially when writing by the seat of your pants. Allow others to read your writing now and you risk losing energy for your story and becoming overwhelmed by the task ahead of you.
2) Do NOT read what you've written. I know, I know. You're anxious to read your hard work. However, the longer you give yourself before actually reading your first draft, the better. If you read your manuscript now, you're still close enough to the work that you'll automatically fill in the gaps. Give yourself distance first. This allows you to read your work more objectively later.
Let's get started!
By now, you know who the protagonist of your story is. Stories are about character transformation. The character who is transformed by the dramatic action in your story is your protagonist. Fill out the following for your protagonist. If the major antagonist in your story is a person, fill out the following for that character as well. If you have more than one point of view character, fill out the form for that/those characters, too.
CHARACTER EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROFILE
Character’s name:
Dramatic Action Plotline
Overall story goal:
What stands in her way:
What does she stand to lose:
Character Emotional Development Plotline
Flaw:
Strength:
Hates:
Loves:
Fears:
Dream:
Secret:
Good l
Once you have your first, second, third + drafts written and you're set on the overall plot, major scenes and turning points, character growth and transformation, and have a sense of your overall theme, turn your attention to "every word perfect."
I really hate the expression 'vomit-on-the-page'. It turns me off reading your blog. I'm sure you can think of a much more interesting expression than that.
Swinging by to wish you Happy Holidays!
Great post full of great tips!!!
Hugs, JJ