Learning how to write a book is such a
long, long process, isn't it? I find myself constantly thinking,
“Huh. Well that's something to remember for next time.” Each new
book comes with new lessons and new insights to carry into the next
book.
For the past month and a half I've been
in new book! mode. So far, this has been one of the most enjoyable
first draft experiences I've ever had. I think there are a few key
factors to making it so much more successful, and they're all going
on the “remember for next time” list. Here are the top three:
1. Planning Ahead
In the past I've tended to be more of a
pantser than a plotter. For the longest time I cringed at the thought
of planning out a book, because as soon as I wrote an idea down on
paper to “plan” it, all of my inspiration dried up.
I'm not sure what's changed or why, but
my process is completely reversing. This time I kept note cards (no,
I don't have Scrivener yet) of all the scenes in the book. I could
flip through them and see the plot taking shape. I could rearrange
them as I thought ahead to what came next. Those note cards helped me
visualize the arc of the book.
The unexpected consequence is that my
finished rough draft is only about two thirds the length that the
final book should be. As I've tended to go too long with my previous
projects, I'm a little baffled by this result. But I'm also glad. I
think in the past a lot of that word count was extra fat from
rambling on in a scene instead of transitioning into the next scene.
Now I have the leisure to go back and add in more meat where I
actually need it to go.
2. Knowing the Characters
In addition to keeping note cards of
all my scenes, I've been keeping note cards of the characters as
well. I created all of them before writing the first draft, and added
information such as characteristics, flaws, speech patterns, and
perhaps most importantly, a brief life story.
Some of these I've added to while
writing. Others I've changed drastically. Overall, though, I went
into the book knowing a little more than I usually do about the
people I was working with, and that has made a huge difference for
me.
Writers often say that their characters
take on lives of their own, and will often do completely unexpected
things. These surprises can be really exciting. They've happened to
me, and they've always taught me a lot about my characters. But
they've never happened as much as they did in writing this first
draft. Knowing a bit about them ahead of time gave them so much more
room to show me new things about who they were. And I've been so
happy with the results.
3. No Re-reading
I've heard authors say before that the
best method of drafting is to end in the middle of a sentence one
day, and the next to pick up in that same place and keep going
without looking back.
Until this book I had never actually
tried that. I would spend the first half of a writing day going over
the scene from the day before and tweaking it to excruciating degree.
Only when I was satisfied with it would I move on to the next scene.
This time I ignored everything that
came before and focused only on what came next. And the results? Wow!
The words came so much more fluidly. The scenes, while less “perfect”
than they would have been under my previous method, are still quite
good enough for a rough draft, and they're still new and fresh. When
I do go over them again I'll be able to look at them with a more
critical eye. I'm SO glad I finally followed that advice.
So how about you? What new lessons has
your writing taught you lately?
