Tag: help

Writing

Rewrites in 4 Easy Phases: Phase 4: Micro Assessment and Changes

S.C. Chalmers

March2013 003We’ve made it. We’ve arrived at the final phase of the rewrite, and from here, you know you can succeed. (Um, is it just me, or have I really been that obsessed with plot structure that I think the 4 phases are also based on the four plot sections?) Well, good news is, we have just the climax ahead, and we will succeed – no martyrdom allowed here.

So, the 5 steps of the final phase: Micro Assessment and Changes.

  1. Read through and make notes as you did on step 1 of Phase 1. If possible, do a search and highlight of overused words / phrases, throw-away words, etc. Look for awkward wording, anything unclear, and particular weaknesses (like a tendency for talking heads or lack of setting, etc.) Note opportunities to fine tune scenes, along with suggestions. Again, I highly recommend doing a read-through and only making notes in this phase. If you start making changes, you’ll get caught up and not be able to enjoy the “read” as hopefully your readers will.
  2. Assess. Are there still big problems? Loose ends? Stray plot threads? If so, go back to phase 1 and start again. (I’m sorry, I know that hurts!) If not, then proceed.
  3. Correct and Implement. Using your notes, make the minor corrections like deleting extra words, tightening up sentences, and making scenes as strong as possible. Consider heightening description, the use of the five senses and imagery. If your gut says something still isn’t working, go back and correct it. BUT, don’t get caught up in the need for absolute perfection; it’s a losing battle.
  4. Celebrate! You’ve completed rewrites. Now you can go on and do things like marketing material, send it out, etc.
  5. Get to work on your next book. You’re a writer. That’s what you do. 🙂

So, you’ve survived the four phases of rewrites.

I love hearing from you. How did you do? Any sections you suffered through? Any tweaks or suggestions for improving the method? What’s your next plan?

Thanks for reading, and hope you have a terrific week. Oh, and if you liked the series, why not follow the blog? There’s sure to be more. 🙂

Writing

Rewrites in 4 Easy Phases: Phase 2: Macro Assessment and Changes

S.C. Chalmers

Herein we enter the phase of rewrites I never properly considered … and have had to do many, many more drafts of the zombie book than I should have. So hopefully you don’t have the same problems, I’m here to help.

Phase 2 looks at the big issue changes and issues to address during the rewrite. One of the things I’m trying to do is spend less actual time reading the actual text ad-nauseum until you get to the point where you positively despise every word, good or not (you know that feeling, right?). That’s why this phase makes a lot of use of the notes you made in Phase 1.

Do note that this is a big phase. Unless you are superhuman (and I totally envy you if you are!), then it may take you a while to get through each of these steps. To give you some idea, it took me a bit over a month to read through and make notes, a day for the chapter by chapter, and almost a week for the re-organization. I wish you all the best if you can do it faster – and it’s certainly possible – but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t. So not useful. 😉

Phase 2: Macro Assessment and Changes in 4 steps:

  1. Read over the chapter by chapter summary you created. Do scenes flow seamlessly and logically into other scenes? Does the progression of the story make sense to you? To others who might take a look? Do you have multiple chapters saying and doing the same thing?
  2. Structure Test. Can you clearly identify which scenes are the major structural elements of the plot? Are they behaving and coming across the way they need to? Are you missing pieces of the plot?
  3. Scene test. Beside each chapter / scene, write out the scene purpose and goal for you the writer. That is: why is this scene in the book, what does it do, why do I need it? Do you have scenes without a purpose? With weak purposes? Consider how these can be strengthened, or deleted.
  4. Re-organization. If you found some red-flags in step 2, now it’s time to fix the problems. Weak structure is often a failing of many unpublished novels (which is what I remind myself of too when I’m annoyed at the mistakes I make – you can remind yourself of the same). So, now make a second copy of your chapter-by-chapter (just the chapter summary) and chop each chapter into its own little strip. Start with the major plot points, and work through the plot either using a huge drawing of the plot arc, the four-act structure, or whatever works for you. You want to re-organize to make sure a) each scene flows logically from one to the next, b) the character growth and plot intensity progresses logically, c) you haven’t missed anything. This might mean chapter 5 becomes chapter 20, or vice versa – the number doesn’t matter. You may also combine chapters, switch some out, and delete others.
  5. Filling in holes. Once you determine what’s working, you may find that some scenes don’t progress from one to the next, or that you’re missing steps on the character growth or plot progression. Fill these in with rough notes of what you require in the scene, and perhaps brainstorm a few ideas.
  6.  Name your chapters / scenes on your main chapter-by-chapter summary. Nothing fancy, perhaps the purpose of the scene or something that helps you identify it. This will be important when you start moving things around in your actual manuscript, especially if you use a word processing program.
  7. Tape together the new order of your scenes, and make notes. They can only get taped or “finalized” if the scene flows from one to the next. I made additional notes of each chapter to understand the flow, especially because I added new chapters / scenes and needed to clarify what I needed, and because I was combining other chapters, and wanted to know what the heck I wanted out of each.
  8. Read through your new chapter by chapter (or scene) progression. KEEP THE OLD CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, because it has your earlier notes, and you’ll need those later. If things still aren’t working, go back to step 1. Otherwise, behold the new order and wonder your book will be. Post somewhere you can see and refer to them later.
  9. Take a moment to smile and be proud of yourself. Try to forget that now, the real work begins.

Phew! That phase wasn’t easy, was it? Pat yourself on the back or feed yourself a treat for getting that all done. You deserve it!

Next week: Phase 3: Implementation of Macro Changes

But first: how do you assess major changes and rewrites? How do you decide what needs to be changed, and what stays? Any tips to help the rest of us write the best darned book we can – and survive rewrites?

Thanks for reading, and have an awesome week. And hey, why not stop by and sign up for the blog? It’s fun here. 🙂

Writing

Choosing a Setting: How do you choose?

S.C. Chalmers

Scotland2007 019I’ve been thinking a lot about setting and atmosphere recently. It definitely isn’t one of my strengths, and I want to change that – and what better opportunity than the latest rewrite? I’ve also found a few problems where the setting I chose just doesn’t work.

Which begs the question: how do you choose the right setting?

The question works on two levels. First there’s the general setting for your entire story, whether it’s Regency England, or maybe the darkside of Mars. Then there’s the more specific question of what settings to select for specific scenes. I’ve heard differing things about how many settings you should have for your whole book – some suggesting about a maximum of five. And while I understand that this helps ground the reader – and the writer, too – I do find this a bit limiting, especially in some books where necessity demands you move to different settings, like various crime scenes (unless all your victims are killed in the same place … wouldn’t that just make it easy to wait around until the killer comes back?).

Anyway … how do you choose? What makes the best setting?

Donald Maass in “Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook,” suggests that each location can be “an opportunity to enrich your story” (176). The setting can alter and create a mood. I’ve seen this done lately (and really well) by Amanda Stevens in her Graveyard Queen series (which I confess to being totally addicted to – read them. They’re awesome.) She seemingly effortlessly creates this creepy and intriguing setting, especially in “The Kingdom” (book 2), where even the arrival of the protagonist, Amelia, hints at what’s to come. In that novel, the setting really is a character … but what character to choose?

The easy answer, of course, is “whatever I want,” but that’s a silly answer. Just because I want my second scene set on the moon with naked dancing alien-babies in the background doesn’t mean it will work … especially in my Regency romance. Thus, one must look to the overall setting to decide on the specific. The possibilities are not endless, but they seem to be. A tavern? The protagonist’s front parlor? A boxing club?

Time for your input. If you’re a writer, how do you choose your settings? What is it about a particular setting that makes it matter more? Do you limit how many you use? As a reader, do you have a preference for setting? Is there a point when there’s too many settings?

Thanks, as always, for reading, and hope you have a fabulous week. Oh, and if you like this post and don’t yet follow, why not? You wouldn’t want to miss a post would you? (Don’t worry I don’t bite … trying to set a good example for the kidlet.)

The Journey to Publication

How to Celebrate the Joy and Success of Others

S.C. Chalmers

I’ve recently realized something: I’m better at dealing with people when they’re down than when they’re happy.

It’s a strange thing to think about. But I’m quite good at offering sound advice, helping loved ones plan a way out of the hole they feel trapped in. That I’m great at. But when things are really great? When something wonderful has happened to them? The words sound hollow and chunky to my ears. “Congratulations” just doesn’t convey what I want to say. It’s the same when I meet someone – say another author at a book signing who I really admire. What do you say without gushing they’re the best author  you’ve ever read – which probably isn’t true anyway (the more wonderful the author I read, I’m likely to pick up someone just as good or better the next time – that’s why it’s so hard to have just one favorite!).

So … how do you congratulate and compliment someone and be sincere about it? Okay, here’s what I have so far …

  1. Be Specific. Instead of just “congratulations” or “that looks great on you,” explain a little, make it matter and try to convey your sincerity with the “why.” It also backs up the compliment and makes it matter more. Why was this the best book you ever wrote? Why do they look nice today?
  2. Don’t be phony. If the person’s speech was terrible, complimenting them on it will probably sound insincere because it is. Instead, is there something you can compliment them on? Coming out? Volunteering? Other achievements?
  3. Make it about the person and their success, not you. It can be hard to offer congratulations to someone who’s just achieved what you haven’t been able to yet, or when you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps. BUT, celebrating your loved ones success can make their achievement that much sweeter. Later, they’ll listen to your problems. But first, celebrate the good times, and who knows? Maybe it will help you forget the bad.
  4. Don’t have a hidden agenda. Don’t just be kind to get something (ie: an author to promote your book, or your husband to buy you something, etc). Be kind for it’s own sake: it will make someone else feel good, and it will make you feel good, too.
  5. Give kindness to someday receive it. Okay, that sounds really, horribly selfish, doesn’t it? Here’s the thing: I sincerely believe we receive back what we put into the world … you know, cosmic balance and stuff. And if something great happens to you, you’d want to celebrate, right? So give and allow that same joy to whoever you’re congratulating.
  6. Don’t cloud the joy. If you’re a bit of a cynic, like me, it can be easy to see that a small success isn’t the end of the road, and there will always be hard times ahead. BUT, unless you remember to enjoy the good bits, how do you think you’ll manage to get through the bad? Let the other details go, and savor the pleasure of joy. It can be far too fleeting.

Okay. That’s all I have. And I’m still not sure if it’s enough. Any advice? How do you help celebrate success and achievements? How do you spread joy and kindness during the good times?

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!