So a lot has happened since that last Rewriter’s Block post.
I planned some chapter rewrites. Gave the antagonist an early cameo. Cried a bit over the mess that is chapter five. And then I had something of a painful revelation.
First drafts are not the final story. Quite often they’re templates, and anything can change. They shouldn’t feel confining. But as I tried to figure out what didn’t need an overhaul I began to despair. It’s hard to see a story as fluid when you’ve spent so much time on it already (three years this May). I couldn’t see what needed moving, what needed deleting, and what was actually okay.
That was until the plot session. A couple of my uni friends had been hearing of my woes since last year, and they finally persuaded me to sit down with them after lessons and we talked through our novel problems together. Mine included holes in my magic system (particularly lexiomancy), feeling constrained by the existing draft, and passive characters. However, my biggest problem was that not enough… happens. There’s a lot of sitting around, hiding and generally moping about.
Plot. That’s the biggest problem. Pyromancer has one of course, and it makes sense (for the most part). But Carla is very much pushed around by it. She doesn’t want to master her fears. She doesn’t want to learn pyromancy. And that attitude stays with her for a good chunk of the novel in which she should be out doing stuff.
We talked about using the three-act structure to fix where the story was slumping. The snowflake method was also suggested in order to find the story’s central focus. For the prose itself, we looked at the scenes and sequels method of writing (it’s a technique used by the great Brandon Sanderson himself, so there must be some merit to it).
Then came the big revelation. When I stressed that what I’d already written was boxing me in, there was a moment of consideration. Then: “Maybe you could treat this draft as a huge brainstorm, and then use it as the basis for a new novel where you’re not confined by what you’ve already written.”
Hmm.
I thought about this for a while. The idea of starting again wasn’t completely unappealing. I had tons of character back story to build from, a reasonably clear idea of the main plot line and some pretty solid world building already. It would give me room to write new POVs and reinvent the story a little. Even typing the words new novel is a lot more exciting than redraft.
So The Last Pyromancer is looking at a very big overhaul. A rewrite. A remix, maybe. I want more danger, more darkness, more magic. More POVs (Carla’s best friend Allie now has her own back story, and bad guy Miles is going to get a few pages). Plenty more work to be done, but it’ll be worth it in the end hopefully. In the future I might show some comparisons of scene rewrites, though that might be a way off yet.
It could be a while until I’m even looking at volume two, but this is progress. And I’ve recognised that. I think those highlighters are going to stay there for a while.
Stuff To Remember:
- Your story is fluid. Anything can change in the next draft.
- If the draft truly isn’t working and you feel constrained, use it as a spring board to reinvent the story.
- If your plot doesn’t feel right, research story structure and see if all your points line up.
- If a character doesn’t feel 3D enough, spend some time interviewing them and improving their back story. Everyone needs a motivation.
- If it adds more conflict/tension, put it in!
*
Things have been pretty quiet lately, in writing terms at least. I received a rejection for an anthology story, and I’ve been a bit lax at sending stuff out since Christmas. February’s looking like a much busier month: two coursework deadlines and two short stories to send off! Things should start happening again pretty soon, so expect to see some more updates on my Facebook and Twitter in the coming weeks.