Day 12 – Clarify the Theme

Posted on by March 14, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today I will identify my theme and use it to guide my revisions. I should have several examples of the theme throughout the novel, know how it deepens the character arc and how it ties in with the resolution of the novel.

Janice mentions you can have more than one theme, but you don’t want too many. She recommends one story theme and one character theme for each important character.

I have struggled with theme. Sometimes I’m not certain what that is.

Results: After studying my story arc and pivotal moments, I have decided my story theme is growing stronger through adversity, with the protagonist’s theme fear of failure and the antagonist’s theme self-loathing.

Take-Away Value:

Theme is something that leads you into a story or develops as the story takes shape. If you don’t know what your theme is, consider the major arcs and action points in your story and see where they point.

This was not an easy task for me. Did you find it difficult, or was it clear from the inception of your story?

See you on the next page.

Day 11 – Focus the Point of View

Posted on by March 14, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today I will focus on making the most of POV and examine how my characters see the world around them.

I will look for areas of head-hopping (switching POV mid-scene), odd self-aware moments, knowing something the character cannot know, unsubstantiated emotional responses, stating the obvious and faulty character reactions.

Since I only have one POV throughout the book, I don’t have to worry about head-hopping. The rest, however, seems a little daunting to me. Do I have to read through the entire book to check every piece of dialogue, thought and reaction? It seems like this would take an inordinate amount of time and most of my day. I am overwhelmed.

Update and Results: I needed sleep. Several nights of just a few hours’ sleep had worn me down and today’s task wore me out. After a rejuvenating nap I was able to pick up where I left off. I did not have to go through the entire book page by page, as I feared, but instead referred to my outline and went to any scenes that had potential for misguided POV.

I made a change in Chapter 19 to delete a realization that shouldn’t come that early in the story. I will work on my Chapter 40 to show more of an expected emotional response to an unhappy decision.

Take-Away Value:

POV comes from your character’s head. Look through their eyes and imagine you’re wearing a mask that blocks out everything except what’s in front of you. If you can’t see or hear something, then your character can’t know or react to it.

Editing requires focus and when you don’t get enough rest it is difficult to stay in the zone. Try to edit when you have the emotional and physical energy to keep moving forward. If you hit a wall, step back and reexamine your current situation. Creativity is a part of you; don’t let external circumstances overrule your passion.

I would love to know if any of these blogs have been helpful to you and hear any lessons you may want to share from your own journey.

See you on the next page.

 

 

Day 10 – Balance the Backstory

Posted on by March 12, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s focus is on making sure the backstory is both necessary and entertaining for my readers. I am to focus on eliminating, moving or revising unnecessary backstory, particularly in the first 25% of my novel.

My story is science fiction, which means I have to create a different world for my characters to live in. I have to explain why my protagonist had to come to Earth by describing where she came from and her role in that world, which led to this mission. I thought all of this information was absolutely necessary for the reader to understand her. I was wrong. I ended up cutting out half of my first page. It was painful, a little like ripping off a Band-Aid, but now it reads so much better.

Result: I spent a good deal of time rereading my first chapter, particularly the first page, trying to figure out how I could make my protagonist more real to my readers without so much backstory. I actually went to bed to sleep on it, but sleep eluded me and gradually a new page began to form in my mind. I had to get back up and write it down before it forever faded from my memory.

Take-Away Value:

Some backstory can be necessary, but a little goes a long way. If you have a lot, especially on the first page, try deleting it and reading the page again. Then add back only what is absolutely necessary for the story to make sense. Look for other ways to tell backstory, such as dialogue, or put it in other places later on where the information is more relevant. Reserve your first page for action and presenting a character a reader can identify with. If you don’t grab them right away, the backstory won’t matter.

See you on the next page.

 

Day 9 – Tighten the Character Descriptions

Posted on by March 11, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days      at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s assignment is to know what my characters look like and see if I need to add or strengthen their descriptions as they are introduced. I also need to revise any clichéd or stereotypical images and trim any extraneous description.

My protagonist and antagonist are easy to describe, as I have become intimately familiar with them. Some important secondary characters, however, need a little tweaking. Since I hope this book will be the first of a trilogy, it is important for me to know what these characters look like as well so they are consistent from one book to another.

I did discover that some of my descriptions were stereotypical, such as the overweight, balding, small-town Mayor, and the dark, brooding evil antagonist. In previous stories I selected pictures off the Internet (mostly celebrities) that reflected the mental image I had of each character. (Also helpful if movie rights are bought!) In this case, however, I did not do that, so before I move ahead, that is something I will do.

Results: Rather than having any extraneous descriptions, I tend to use as little as possible and let the reader create their own images. I need to balance this with enough description to give the reader a clue about the character.

Take-away value:

If you don’t use a lot of character descriptions in your story, it is still important to know in your mind what they look like. Descriptions can be how another character, such as the POV person, sees them. Any description should be relevant, such as lithe legs on a ballerina or sculpted abs on a fitness trainer. The reader doesn’t need to know that the ballerina has fine hair or the fitness trainer has big feet, unless it adds to the story in some way.

See you on the next page.

Day 8 – Flesh Out the Character Development

Posted on by March 9, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days     at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s focus is on fleshing out my characters. Are they believable, likable or compelling, and if not, what might be missing? If there is a character I’m not satisfied with, there are eight questions listed to help figure out why. They address things like flaws, virtues, contradicting beliefs, backstory, and approach to problem-solving.

I feel pretty comfortable with my characters at this point, so I did a quick scan of the eight questions to see if I could answer them all satisfactorily. It was also suggested, if I was satisfied with my characters, that I work on some of my previous notes. I used this time to check several revisions off my list, including clarifying the stakes in chapters 5 and 12.

Results: Going through the eight questions provided and answering them for my protagonist, antagonist, and two other main characters, I felt a stronger understanding and bond with them. Hopefully, my readers will too.

Take-away value:

Making your characters three-dimensional makes them real to your readers. This exercise may be difficult, but you will be surprised how much it enhances your characters. It will enrich your story in a satisfying and empowering way. The difference is like eating a rich stew compared to a thin broth. Your readers will feel sated.

See you on the next page.

 

Day 7 – Focus the Narrative Drive

Posted on by March 9, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days     at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

The first week of editing is finished and I survived. Yay!

Today I am checking my narrative drive in case I knocked things out of alignment with all my fiddling this week. I will be looking at plan of action, clearness of motivation, story point and story question, and changes in the scene.

At this point I realize I need to do some actual editing instead of just taking notes.

I have clarified my protagonist’s motivation on the first page. Now I need to keep that motivation clear throughout my book. I am adding a note to do this as I make other revisions to my chapters. I also rewrote my Chapter 17 to include some conflict.

I am still struggling with the possible deletion of Chapter 30. There is some good stuff here, I think, but it lacks conflict and tension. It will either be reborn as something more interesting, or be absorbed into other chapters. I don’t know why I’m procrastinating. I guess I don’t like to make big decisions on the fly. But more likely I don’t want to kill my darlings, as Stephen King says. I guess it’s time to sharpen my sword.

Results: This first week has shown me how much I need to consider when I am contemplating or outlining my story. A little awareness at the beginning may have saved me some time now. But I am still excited about this 31-day plan. Whatever happens, I will be much farther down the editing path than I would have been otherwise.

Take-Away Value:

It’s time to pat yourself on the back. You have just spent a week in deep thought about your story and how it flows. Your writing engine’s wheels are firmly set on the rails that will keep your story moving straight ahead.

So, how have you done? Have you found this first week easy, difficult, or somewhere in-between? Any weak areas you need to work on? Any strengths that became clearer?

Okay. Recharge for tomorrow. See you on the next page.

 

 

 

 

Day 6 – Clarify the Stakes and Consequences

Posted on by March 7, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days  at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s focus is on fixing any low stakes so what my characters do actually matters to them and the readers. If needed, I can add or raise the stakes by adding consequences, making the existing consequences more dire, or making the stakes more clear.

At this point, I realize I need something more solid to look at than my outline, so I set up a spreadsheet showing each chapter, its conflicts, tension, stakes, etc. I will address this at more length at the end of the 31 days.

I am able to name the stakes for most of my chapters, except for Chapter 30, which I have already earmarked for possible deletion. My chapter 32, however, has conflict and tension, but no stakes. Another note in my things-to-do list.

Results: It took some time for me to make my spreadsheet, but for me it was well worth it since I do better with an overall visual. Although my editing notes are growing, I am pleasantly surprised to find that they are not an infinite number of pages. At least not yet. 🙂

Take-Away Value:

When you are writing your book, it helps to keep a question of stakes in the back of your mind. Though your first draft should be free-flowing and unhindered, knowing stakes are essential may lead your muse to incorporate them into your flow naturally. Don’t stress, however, as you can always go back at this point in the editing process and add or strengthen them as needed.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 – Clarify the Conflict and Tension

Posted on by March 6, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days       at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s assignment is all about making sure there is enough conflict and tension throughout the book to keep the reader hooked. Every chapter and/or scene should have these two elements. If they don’t, you need to add or strengthen them, or consider removing that chapter or scene.

My outline and exercises to date made it easier to quickly review my chapters. I noted that my chapters 8 and 13 have tension, but either lack conflict or I didn’t express an inner conflict well enough. I will need to go back and rework them.

Results: After yesterday’s lackluster performance, I feel like I am moving forward again. I am collecting a lot of notes, but I’m not certain when I will get those revisions made, since future lessons may take care of this.

TAKE-AWAY VALUE:

This assignment would be difficult to do without a good outline. Conflict can be internal or external. Tension can be as simple as deciding which toothpaste to buy or as complicated as hearing bombs exploding. Just make sure you have some kind of tension in every scene, or as Donald Maas, the New York agent and popular author recommends, on every page. Without it, the reader will not stay involved in the story.

 

 

Day 4 – Clarify the Goals and Motivations

Posted on by March 5, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days  at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today’s assignment is to tackle any weak or missing goals and make sure the character motivations are clear, logical and moving the plot forward. I can either continue making notes or start editing from my previous ones.

I decided to start editing. Unfortunately, I waited until late at night to begin and I soon became mired down in decisions I was too tired to make, like deleting an entire chapter and deciding what parts needed to be merged with other chapters.

I did manage to make some revisions from my notes and it felt good to check them off. I did a find/replace for some words I needed to make consistent, I added a clarifying sentence for a change in plan, and I addressed a need to make my protagonist more approachable on the first page. There are other notes of things to check on that I haven’t done yet, because I need to decide where in the book these revisions/additions are needed.

Results: I am disappointed I didn’t get more accomplished, but I am also pleased that I was able to check off some of my notes. I discovered my goals and motivations are pretty tight and that makes me feel like my story is on the right track. I am excited to move forward.

Take-Away Value:

Try to start when you’re fresh and pace yourself. While it is important that you don’t find excuses to not sit down and edit, recognize that real life sometimes gets in the way. Don’t beat yourself up – just get back to work as soon as you can.

 

Day 3 – Analyze the Scene Structure

Posted on by March 5, 2015
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This is the continued saga of my foray into Janice Hardy’s Revise Your Novel in 31 Days     at-home workshop (blog.janicehardy.com).

Today I was asked to look at each scene in my story and decide if it contained goals, conflict, and stakes—also if it drove the reader into the next scene. Here are some notes I made:

The end of chapter 1 needs a better sentence to lead the reader into the next chapter.

Chapter 3 needs to show protagonist’s realization that her plan will not work.

Chapter 14 or 15 needs to show villagers want to stay and fight and not run like cowards.

Chapter 30 – Necessary, or delete? Perhaps merge with another chapter?

Knowing I do not have to make these changes now, but merely make a note of them, relieves a lot of the pressure I might feel otherwise.

Results: Now that I am not as overwhelmed by the thought of revision (thank you Janice), I can relax and go through each scene with a critical eye. I am gaining confidence in my ability to self-edit because I have been given a plan of action that addresses one thing at a time.

Take-Away Value:

Don’t try to climb to the top of a ladder in one step. Tackle each scene individually and make note of any missing, broken, or unnecessary rungs. Repairs can come later.