As part of his pre-school, mini-Engineer (aka Truck Boy) was
filling out Valentine’s day cards for his classmates. He loved doing it and
insisted on writing all their names himself. I noticed that while he could make
all the letters and knew what letters
where in which name, getting them in the right order was a completely different
problem.
He’d start in the right place but if he ran out of room, or if he just
wanted to, he would continue the name under the first couple letters, or above,
or in front of. Because there was that nice empty margin to fill up. Upon
occasion the letters could be scattered around in no order whatsoever. Alphabet soup.
It reminded me of a few of my
early novels. They were a collection of scenes thrown together with no overall
plot arc, no through line, and no rising tension. Just as my son needs to put
the letters in the right order for them to make a name, I needed to learn to
organize my scenes. First thing that should be done after finishing the draft
and letting it sit for a little is give it a read and just look for the over all
plot structure. Is the conflict set up at the beginning of the book resolved
at the end? Is there growth and movement throughout the book, or is it just
someone reacting to things thrown at him.
If the scenes don't line up like the letters in a name then you probably have a problem. I just finished a structure draft of my current WIP. I’m super excited to see how this is coming
together, and I can’t wait to move on to language, polishing, and really making
my book shine. I’m even looking forward
to checking the grammar.
Have you ever written an alphabet soup book?
This is a helpful metaphor, Sara. I'm learning that even when the structure is there, we still may be asked to alter it a bit in order to add some spice to the soup--even if we have a taste for something a bit more mild ...
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. People are always telling me to spice things up. But I will always be a character writer.
DeleteGo, Sara, Go! It sound like you're fired up and ready to straighten out the "letters". ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I've had a mess that required cutting and chapter switches because it didn't match the plot alphabet. And great that your son can write out his valentines.
ReplyDeletePSH yes. My first novel was a very big bowl of ABC soup. ;)
ReplyDeleteNice analogy, btw. Much luck with the WIP!
My books always feel like messes, but somehow they come together eventually in the revision process. I wonder if Scrivener would help?
ReplyDeleteA lot of novels start out that way. The revision process is so important.
DeleteThat's the perfect visual for some of the things I've written and read. What a great way to think about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI haven't written that many books, but I can tell you I've certainly written alphabet soup chapters. Even drafts for some of my blog posts have been alphabet soup-like!
ReplyDeleteAh, character alphabet soup. I'm still working on character motivation through a novel.
DeleteEach time we write, we learn. Love this, Sara.
ReplyDeleteFun comparison to writing a novel. They should make those Valentine's bigger!
ReplyDeleteI agree, polishing is the best part of writing. That's when we get our wordsmithing on. :)
I have never written any book before but reading other authors blogs, it looks like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great comparison. My favorite part is catching the letters on a spoon and shoving them together to make words, which fits well with the editing.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have such a good feel with your MS. It makes polishing that much more fun. :) You hate grammar that much, huh?
Not quite that bad, but yes, I've written a disorganized story. It was epic fun too. Rewriting it to other people's taste? Not so fun. I suggest all writers learn basic plot structuring so they can balance the process while moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I love the work involved after that first draft. But that reminds me that I'm still not finished my current WIP. Gads, it seems to be taking forever. Maybe I'm just getting lazy.
ReplyDeleteYes, this happens to me. Not too often, but I do have those days!
ReplyDeleteI love this comparison! I've written far too many alphabet soup pieces, but I think (or at least hope) that I've improved.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good feeling it is to invest your time into a project and feel the excitement of a vision come to fruition. Yay you!
ReplyDeleteAh! Too many alphabet soups in my drawer!
ReplyDeleteGreat comparison :)
Nas
LOL That sounds like my ms that I'm editing for my editor. I only realized that after I moved things around (and had a write a bunch of new chapters). Now my alphabet soup spells something a lot more compelling. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the analogy of an alphabet soup book! And I'm really excited at how far you've gotten in yours :-)
ReplyDeleteI think the only one I ever had was Rosa's story - I changed her opening so many times, moving scenes and cutting scenes and wondering what to keep, that it felt like stirring a stew (to keep up your analogy!)!