Last week's class was as much about the mental approach to rewriting and editing as the actual work. This week I'm going to go into a little more detail on some of the big problems and how to deal with them.
After we cover all the regular material (with each question period), we'll discuss any specific problems class members want to bring up.
Step 6 -- Okay, you've gone through and identified your problem spots. Now it's time to go back and fix them. Plug plot holes, create sub-plots, revamp characters, work out lost plot lines...
Yes, this can be a very major step. In some cases it can be the equivalent of writing the novel all over again. But if you are serious, you're going to approach this like a professional and not throw up your arms in despair.
You will especially not abandon a project as 'wasted time' and move on to something new. The chances are that you will make the same mistakes again. Until you can learn to both find and fix these situations,
First let's specifically look at the problem of adding subplots. These can be very difficult to work in if you haven't any idea where to start. I'll give you an example of how I approached a very easy one for one of my (unpublished) novels.
In the book Dancer, a top Inner Worlds ecoscientist (concerned with the entire ecology of terraformed and terra-like worlds) is sent to a backwater planet to study a native life form called bears.
The local government is intolerant of outside influences. Cha isn't happy being posted there. He soon realizes that he and his guide, an off-world woman named Devlin, are not popular. He's uncertain exactly how much work he can do.
But a local young man, named Dancer, is also unhappy with his people, and intends to help Cha and Devlin. They join up. They run afoul of two government groups. They find themselves in danger, pursed by the enemy, and having to fight for their lives in the wilds.
So I had an obvious way to add a subplot. I went back and wrote out a list of all the chapters, and a few lines of description about each one. And then I started listing intermediate chapters where I could put in POV material from the bad guys.
That was a very simple way to add in a subplot. It anchored to the same plot points as my MC, but it looked at everything from another angle. But that's easy. What about the ones where you have all the bases already covered -- the MC's the bad guys, etc.?
First, ask yourself whom else the events of your book will affect. In some cases you can write a subplot showing how the average outsider sees everything that is happening in your novel.
In a case like this, it is best to have the character at least partially involved in the events, and even to brush up against an MC now and then. Braid this character into the storyline, and use her to view events that perhaps your MCs can't witness, but you would like to show.
Step 7 -- A quick word on adding more to a novel or short story by putting new obstacles in the path of your characters. This can really crank up the energy of a story... or it can just look like an endless array of roadblocks with nothing on the other side.
Make certain that your additions lead to the final confrontation and mirror it. If you are heading for a major battle, only add problems that try to keep them from that battle, but once overcome will bring them closer to the confrontation.
Fixing plot holes are harder to explain because each one will depend on the story. In those cases, if you think you have a plot hole -- that is a place where something logically does not take you to the next step.
These are places where your characters could say "Oh, if we turn right instead of left -- which is the clear path -- we end the problem, and unfortunately, the story. Quite often as writer's we're blind to those spots.
But if you do find one, the best way to plug it is to step back a few chapters and start putting blocks in the way of that path. Sometimes this takes quite a bit of work, but almost any problem can be fixed this way.
Putting obstacles does not always mean a battle or a major disaster. A person showing up at a wrong time, delaying action can be a cause of major frustration. A government official, because they have the power to stop action, can often be 'helpful' for a spot like this.
However, do try to avoid stereotyping a character of this type. Faced with the knowledge that dire circumstances will occur if your characters don't move on might actually win cooperation for a change.
If you have added large sections, either with a new POV and subplot or by adding obstacles in the path of your characters, put the story aside for a few days again, and then start editing once more.
It will go faster this time and you're not likely to make any huge blunders if you let it rest a bit before reading it. I once added in a new POV character, who at one point told the MCs about an important event. Unfortunately, that event actually didn't happen for a couple more chapters in the original storyline.
Track your additions. Make certain of the location of all your characters, both in time and space. You should always check this, whether you add material or not, but it is especially important when you are braiding in new storylines.
Some writers find they have too much material. If you do have a novel that's far too long, my first suggestion is to find a break point in the story and see if you can make it into two novels.
The trick with his is to make certain they both stand up on their own, especially the first one. Remember that, unlike you, the reader is going to have to wait some time before he finds out what happens next. Leave them with questions, but not an edge of the seat cliffhanger.
Cutting books in two might mean you'll have to add complications or even subplots to bring them both back up to a reasonable number of words.
However, it may be that your novel doesn't have a major crisis where the story can be easily broken. In that case, start looking at scenes that you can delete without losing the push of the story.
If you have several subplots or extra characters, see if any of them could be removed. That one is often not an easy exercise, but can sometimes do the work. Also combining characters to cut down the number can also delete extra scenes and give the important parts to someone else in the story.
Paring down short stories to fit a publication's guidelines can be more difficult. If I find that I have a 9000-word story and a 5000-word market, I start by figuring out how many words per page I need to cut to work it down.
Let's say that there are 250 words per page so the story is about 36 pages long. I have 4000 extra words. This means I need to cut just a bit over 111 words per page (4000 divided by 36).
So... I usually start on screen by cutting the larger things -- sentences, extra scenes that I can live without, etc. and checking periodically to see how I'm doing. Some pages will have more than enough to cut. Some will have too few.
After I've made the corrections I do a new word count (and yes, just use the Word Feature for this. I've never had a complaint -- and neither has Holly who uses it for her novels). Quite often I find that I'm still 1000 or more over.
Let's say that I find that I'm still 1114 words over the maximum. My story will be somewhere around 32 pages at this point. I need to cut about 35 words per page again. So of I go one more time, but this time with a print out and pen.
Working with the paper version gives it a slightly different feel, and if you've just done the work on the monitor for one time through, this can help break up the monotony. I often count the number of words cut and put them up at the top of the page.
Sometimes cutting means rewording and reworking other parts -- and that means adding some words back in. However, Eventually, if you are serious, you can cut the story down.
Also beware of enjoying the process too much, and cutting more than you need to. This seems to happen more with novels than short stories. Once the material has slipped into the proper word-range, try rereading to see if it works now.
This might be the time to take a close look at your character's names. If you are like me, you might fall into a naming pattern that make too many of the names sound alike. That doesn't mean just first letter --it can mean the pattern as well.
In a recent rewrite I found that I had Tristan/Trafara/Thebar. Tristan had to stay -- he's a recurring character in the series. Trafara became Shafara and Thebar became Kalis.
But then I found I had Tristan/Brendan/Sandryn as well. Tristan, again, had to stay. So did Brendan for other reasons. Sandryn is still undergoing changes. I haven't settled on a name yet.
In other words, be prepared to make changes of this type. Start bookmarking sites that list names. Pick up baby name books, and even The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook.
If you are prolific, you might consider working up a database where you list names you've used and where. This can also give you a listing of characters to call upon if you write other stories in the same settings.
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Emily-- Ooh, I've got just this problem right now. I've got Kiyoe, Kentarou, Kappa, kekkai, and Kurogawa.
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Robert&Ari-- Thanks for that valuable naming filter.
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Steven-- some authors I know go through phone books and stuff like that.
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Steven-- Especially foreign phone books.
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JamiJo-- *lol* others ask their friends and fans to be stars...
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Emily-- Most of which are names I chose for perfectly good reasons--but I need to figure out which ones to change.
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@zette-- Phone books are good, especially for contemporary names. But I prefer to have name books because I liek to know what the name means.
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BarGnat-- ::blush::
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Robert&Ari-- I don't mind it when it spreads over several books and starts looking like "women whose names start with Z are likely to become Empresses" but within a novel it can be a mess.
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Catherine/splodge-- IMost of my countries have naming systems, which makes things easier
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Emily-- I'd like to keep at least Kiyoe and Kappa, and probably Kurogawa (which is a place name), but I don't know if that's too much.
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Kay House-- What's to blush about Mary?
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@zette-- That does look like a problem Emily.
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BarGnat-- erm, Jami's comment
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JamiJo-- hee hee I was pickin' on her, Kay
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Steven-- Mary used us in her book. :P
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JamiJo-- although I was thinking of Misty when I wrote the comment...
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DragonDancer-- I've found I like the letters C, T, and K and two-syllable names!
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BarGnat-- I do believe she was poking at me because of a character in my book named Jami Johe
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Kay House-- Oh, neat!
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@zette-- It's especially hard with names that are culturally linked and 'alien' Emily. I can see where you have trouble.
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Kay House-- Still, even for a K person like me, three multi syllable K names seems like a lot
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JamiJohe-- I don't mind one bit, tho
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JamiJohe--
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BarGnat-- G--
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@zette-- That can be fun, Mary -- but then you run into other problems. First, and the most unfortunate -- friends sometimes fall out. And then portraying someone in a book might be... a problem.
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Kay House-- If you change Kiyoe I, as a reader, would feel comfortable with Kappa and Kurogawa
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Emily-- Kiyoe is the main character. I don't think I want to rename her.
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Kay House-- Then you shouldn't rename her -- it's YOUR book!
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Robert&Ari-- Maybe change Kappa then. It reminds me of Phi Beta Kappa anyway.
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@zette-- Yeah, I can see that... though I have renamed main characters of my own now and then. Usually after I put some distance between myself and the novel.
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Steven-- lol
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Gayle-- a problem I have is the father is Arie, the daughter Ariellel, and the son is Arye...it's a first born family thing...
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Kay House-- That doesn't feel like as much of a problem to me. Not sure why, but it doesn't
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DragonDancer-- do nicknames help if the characters' actual names seem too close together?
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Emily-- Kappa is Kappa because Kappa is a kappa (a particular kind of Japanese monster), and he was named by an unimaginative seven-year old. But I know I'm going to have to change something.
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@zette-- Try a different naming convention, Gayle. And a 'pre' letter or syllable.
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Robert&Ari-- Zette, does it work if the characters in the book react to a problem like that? Sometimes "too many Mikes in the class" is a touch of realism.
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@zette-- Yeah, it's a touch of realism, but it's bad for the readers.
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Robert&Ari-- I did that deliberately in one book and then the characters all decided to call both Mikes by their nicknames constantly.
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@zette-- That should be to try adding a pre letter or syllable, Gayle. You can have the same feel, but different openings for the names, and cause less confusion for the reader.
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Gayle-- well...Arie is seldom called by his name since he is the king
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@zette-- You can do it someitmes, Robert. I can see where that would work.
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@zette-- Remember one thing with names -- readers rarely stop to pronounce them. They 'see' the name, not hear it. So the closer it is to another name, the worse it is for the reader.
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Kay House-- And the character's solution in Robert's case is also a very realistic solution, like calling the poor boy named for his dad, exactly, "chip" or "junior"
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@zette-- Right, Kay.
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Robert&Ari-- Looks alike is worse than sounds alike then, right, Zette?
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Kay House-- That's very true Zette, about not pronouncing
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@zette-- Both can be a problem. Brendan and Tristan are bad because they both are ]
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@zette-- ARGh!
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Robert&Ari-- I don't know anyone who pronounces the Pern dragonrider names.
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Kay House-- Don't have a Dinadan in that one, Zette!
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JamiJo-- :blush: I do, Robert..
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DragonDancer-- I must be odd... I often try to pronounce the names
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Gayle-- oooh...ouch....me too robert
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@zette-- both are common names that will be easily read/pronounced and they sound the same. And they're about the same length. But they'd be worse if it was, say Brendan and Bristan.
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BarGnat-- I always do... and find it very frustrating when they're so complicated that I can't manage it
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Kay House-- or Dristan -- oh golly, i'm getting punchy -- i'd better hush
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@zette-- And that's another point to keep in mind with names.
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@zette-- LOL, Kay!
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@zette-- Okay, any specific problems anyone has?
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Robert&Ari-- They looked so cool on the page. ROFL Kay!
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Robert&Ari-- Dristan the Swift, fastest runner in the tribe. Only he who is running knows. Run, running knows...
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BarGnat-- LOL
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Steven-- eww
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Kay House-- ohh nooooo
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Yvonne-- bad Robert
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Kay House-- truly evil
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Robert&Ari-- I love PDQ bach! That was really from "Iphigenia in Brooklyn"
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Kay House-- pdq bach roks
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Gayle-- not right now...Last Peace has basicly gone from a rewrite to original when I cut so many of the early chapters out
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@zette-- (clears throat) Class?
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Kay House-- right specific problems
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DragonDancer-- I've a problem, I just need to figure out how to phrase it
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@zette-- I've done that, Gayle.
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@zette-- We are obviously all waiting for DD's problem.
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DragonDancer-- I've decided that some of the characters and events MUST be cut (don't make sense any longer) but it is at 126 K. I'm worried that it will soon get over-short. Should I just rework instead of cutting?
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DragonDancer-- or wait until I hit the problem to worry?
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@zette-- It depends on why you wanted to cut the events and characters. If they really don't fit, then cut and start adding new material, if you need to.
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@zette-- Are you done with the first draft? Otherwise, don't touch it yet.
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DragonDancer-- first draft is finished, has been since January
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DragonDancer-- it just seems to me that I have far too many characters
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DragonDancer-- and not enough real gritty plot
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@zette-- Okay... If you have too many characters, you might try Holly's trick of combining some of them.
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Kay House-- That way, you wouldn't lose any words unless you wanted to cut events, too
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@zette-- Give important actions, etc. to other characters, and hold on to as much of the storyline that way as you can.
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cherylp-- Are we going down the lin in order, zette?
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@zette-- It's a nice way to solve the problem of too many characters. And you can often find ways to add a little more trouble that way, as well. New opportunites spring up for the characters you keep.
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@zette-- Nah. If you have a question, jump in.
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cherylp-- Is DragonDancer done? Don't want to interrupt.
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Yvonne-- are romantic subplots required in novels?
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@zette-- No, they are not REQUIRED.
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DragonDancer-- thank you! that answered my question!
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@zette-- Go ahead and ask, Cheryl. I'll get you in the queue that way. (grin)
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Robert&Ari-- When romantic subplots are there, how much of the book should they take up - when it's not a romance?
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cherylp-- When do you stop revising the darn thing?
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Robert&Ari-- (do cheryl's first)
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cherylp-- When you absolutely loathe it?
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@zette-- When you have gone through and found all the problems you can, and before you start revising just to make sure you aren't going to let it out the door.
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@zette-- You should never loathe the book. If you do that, you're approaching it all wrong.
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Kay House-- with non fiction, it's when you have made it the best you can in the time reasonably available
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Yvonne-- do you have to wait until the first draft is done to do any reworking?
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@zette-- A book is never going to be perfect. You are going to have to admit that, do your best, and let it go.
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cherylp-- Okay, I'm open to suggestion here. I had a short story I loved, but I've revised it so many times, I'm not sure I even like it anymore.
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@zette-- Yes, you should Yvonne. Because by the time you get done with the entire novel, you're going to have to start over from page one anyway.
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Steven-- if you've worked on it to the point that you're sick of it, that's a good sign that you need to put it aside for awhile to give yourself a break and a fresh perspective.
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@zette-- Endings often change the opening.
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Steven-- or that you've "overdone" it.
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cherylp-- I keep changing my mind about the ending. Should I just shut up, write, and leave it be? grin--
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@zette-- On Romance... I know that romance is very popular right now, and they can be wonderful for a story... but from a personal POV, I don't really want to watch the two main characters make eyes at each other when the story is about the destruction of whole worlds.
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Steven-- maybe go back to the point where you last liked it and see what you changed that made you not like it.
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@zette-- Yes, you probably should, Cheryl.
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BarGnat-- Robert was talking about the dangers of overdoing the rewriting in another session, IIRC
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BarGnat-- Had some very good points
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@zette-- Cheryl, continued rewrites is just an excuse not to put it out for a submission.
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@zette-- The truth is, even in good books that publishers like, they're probably going to want changes. You can't make them all ahead of time. So make the best, exciting story you can, and send it off.
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cherylp-- I've already submitted this one in an initial version, zette. I rewrote to the editor's suggestions, but we all know what happened to MZBFM.
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@zette-- Exciting being the important word here. Don't edit it down to boring.
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Kay House-- If you have two endings, you may have two stories -- send one out and work on the other?
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Robert&Ari-- That's the bad habit I'm working to break and what I fear in every rewrite - editing to boring.
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@zette-- Just let it fly on it's own for a while. And don't take the results from one place as a damper on the rest of your work.
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cherylp-- Yeah, that's kinda my fear, too.
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@zette-- MZB wrote very nasty rejection letters. She stopped a lot of new writers that way. But there's no reason for any of us to be one of those writers.
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cherylp-- Maybe I'll put it up on the SF Forum in my most likable (to me) form & get some feedback.
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Robert&Ari-- That would be good.
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BarGnat--
Please do, Cheryl. After this discussion I really want to read it.
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Catherine/splodge-- What makes a story exciting?
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@zette-- We are going to cover critiquing, feedback, etc in the next class, too. Or maybe the one after. Hmmm...
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cherylp-- My problem, zette, is that it *wasn't* a nasty rejection letter. Those I can take. grin-- It was just a suggestion for changes. Rachel Holman liked the story.
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Kay House-- what a pity. I loved her own books. sad. Some people feel like they have to make it your fault that they're saying no because otherwise they'd have to admit the world's not fair.
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Kay House-- mzb, not rachel holman
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DragonDancer-- we'll get to it eventually, zette! g--
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Robert&Ari-- I had one of those.
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@zette-- I've got a couple MZB rejections here. It didn't stop me. (grin)
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@zette-- Welcome back, DD.
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Kay House-- me, too, cherylp!
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DragonDancer-- thanks. board kicked me. ::rubs side::
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BarGnat-- zen hugs
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Catherine/splodge-- grimaces at evil conference room--
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DragonDancer-- I think I'm cursed--it does it every time I'm here!
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Robert&Ari-- It's nice to know in a way that she was that mean to everyone and it wasn't just personal.
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@zette-- Next week we're goign to do a little 'nitpicking' in editing. But for the most part... start bringing your specific problems with you.
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Steven-- sure
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DragonDancer-- I'll look for some (shouldn't be hard to find...)
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BarGnat-- got one all packed up already
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Catherine/splodge-- ok - my problem at the moment is knowing when to stop cutting!
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Robert&Ari-- I'm sure I'll have specific ones. Actually, Rites is one and I still haven't decided what to do with that.
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cherylp-- (Gives Catherine a hug, bless her!)
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@zette-- Catherine, put the book aside for a few days. Work on something else. You have it at a good size now. Then go back and read what you have.
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@zette-- At that point look for dangling story threads that haven't been answered because you cut something.
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Catherine/splodge--
OK - I'll start writing on my third book
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cherylp-- (Cheryl only wishes she would cut when it really calls for it.)
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@zette-- Look for characters that just suddenly show up and disappear without a trace.
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Gayle-- I know I'll have a couple in a couple of weeks when I start working on "Conflict"...IT IS going to be the last rewrite...it's my master dare novel project
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@zette-- Stuff like that.
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@zette-- It takes practice, Cheryl. But... if you know you're not doing it right, stop doing it. (grin)
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cherylp-- Okay, zette! grins back--
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Robert&Ari-- Do you ever run into a situation, Zette, where you weigh a rewrite versus doing a different novel on the same theme on the basis of how much work it would take to do either?
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Catherine/splodge-- There aren't any problems like that - my real problem is making sure the plot isn't ragged - keeping it focussed on the goal
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BarGnat-- Is it permissible to end a book with something that the reader knows, but the MC still doesn't
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BarGnat-- ?
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cherylp-- No second book, Mary?
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@zette-- No, Robert. That, to me at least, would look like 'I don't want to do this' let's play with something else. Many writers have several books on the same theme. Do them both.
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Catherine/splodge-- The MC doesn't know what is really happening until the stuff that happens in the second book
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@zette-- It might, Mary. Depending on how it's handled.
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BarGnat-- Well, it's outlined but very little of it's written yet
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BarGnat-- There are clues for the reader throughout book 1
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@zette-- I have taken an old novel and completely rewritten it, by the way. It's like working with a detailed outline.
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BarGnat-- but none that you'd expect the MC to catch
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cherylp-- Wouldn't it fail the "character changes by end of book" test?
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Kay House-- I wouldn't know the MC's reaction until the MC found out, but maybe I shouldn't know it until the MC does, if it's a book ending point
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@zette-- Cheryl, don't do the 'test' stuff. That's a guideline, not a set in stone rule. There are books that will be fine without it.
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BarGnat-- It was such a nice twist for the epilogue that I couldn't resist it
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BarGnat-- sigh
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@zette-- Give it a try. It might work. There is no set way to write or end any novel. This might be very unique and great.
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@zette-- very unique? Gah.
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BarGnat-- and it sets things up so well for future books without giving the feeling that there HAS to be another book
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@zette-- If an editor wants it changed, then worry about it.
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BarGnat-- Kinda leave you with that "so THAT's what was going on" feeling
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Kay House-- I don't mind that kind of feelling at the end of a book Mary
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@zette-- Sounds fine to me.
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BarGnat-- Then I won't worry about that part yet
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BarGnat-- My only other problem is right in the middle of the book
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BarGnat-- but I'll save that for next week. G--
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@zette-- Always a problem... but not a rewrite problem. By the time you get here, you should have that taken care of. (grin)
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BarGnat-- The epilogue is the one thing I don't plan to do much rewriting on... maybe a little polishing is all
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@zette-- Okay. I'm trying to get the balance between 'class' and 'discussion' for this stuff. How was today? Do we need more class material?
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Steven-- i thought some of the class parts were a bit light
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Robert&Ari-- A little more class material would be nice. For me, I often don't know what questions to ask - that's how hard it is for me.
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BarGnat-- Worked fine for me... but, then, last week did, too
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@zette-- That's what I thought this time, too. Need a bit more depth on that material.
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Kay House-- I particularly like the way you transition between class and discussion. Keeps things moving crisply.
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JamiJo-- *nod*
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BarGnat-- agree, Key
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BarGnat-- Kay
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Gayle-- A little more class material would be nice...but I like the interaction too
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@zette-- It's hard to judge how long it will take to get through the material, so I cut it down to four sections this time. We'll see.
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Robert&Ari-- Yeah. Other people's questions sometimes clear up problems for me.
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DragonDancer-- ditto that. I was going to ask the romance question but Yvonne beat me to it! g--
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@zette-- To be honest, I need the questions because I will not have the same problems as the rest of you with rewrites, so I don't see things that I need to cover.
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cherylp-- Me, I just need a kick in the pants now and again.
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Catherine/splodge-- ooooh. Maybe a prologue would work for me, too.
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Catherine/splodge-- I mean an epilogue
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@zette-- Or both. (grin)
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Catherine/splodge-- My BIG problem is maintaining the plot connections between book one and book two
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BarGnat-- Nice and short and to the point, it can make a good finishing touch, IMO
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@zette-- Yeah, Catherine. That can be a problem. I have an eight book set that I have to maintain certain ideas and actions through. It's not easy.
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Catherine/splodge-- The "real" story starts in book 2, although really its been happening all the way through book one and no-one has been able to realise it yet
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Catherine/splodge-- That is what I am having trouble with.
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Steven-- um, i guess we're finished???
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@zette-- make a single sheet listing of all the things that happened in book one that relate to material you want to cover in book 2. That might help.
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@zette-- Then pin it up close to you're monitor, so you can look at it when you write.
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@zette-- Yeah, I'd say we're done!
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Steven--
alright. bye. see y'all later.
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Catherine/splodge-- Ok - thanks Zette
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Gayle-- night all
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@zette-- By the way, we might move this to every two weeks. I'm falling behind on my other work.
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Robert&Ari-- Thanks for a great class, Zette!
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JamiJo--
Thank you zette
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Kay House-- GReat class zette!!!!!!
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BarGnat-- Thx, then, zette... great session
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Gayle-- thank you zette
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DragonDancer-- thank you zette
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Steven-- that's fine. let us know.
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JamiJo-- cya all...back to bed for moi...
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cherylp-- Bye. Thanks, zette!
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Catherine/splodge-- Yeah - its been really helpful!
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DragonDancer-- good night, everyone!
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BarGnat-- bye
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@zette-- Bye gang! Have a nice night!
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BarGnat-- take care, everyone
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Robert&Ari-- Night, all! Happy writing!
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BarGnat-- Off to chat
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Catherine/splodge-- bye everyone!
Show me a writer who isn't totally obsessed, and I'll show you a hobbyist. -- S.L. Viehl
