Part 2 in my AMM mini-series is about craft and my revision process.
My mentor sent over a “Homework Schedule” (yay, writing homework!). It covered everything, such as voice, outlining, premise analysis, character development, beats, and so on. Each topic had videos and articles to go along with it, and I tackled each individual item so nothing could get overlooked. This book was going to be well rounded in every way.
My mentor also made notes on my strengths and weaknesses. For example, my voice was great, but I needed help with character development and pacing.
So, what was the hardest item on my homework list?
My character’s goal, motivation, and conflict.
Of course my characters had goals, but they could be stronger and more specific. A specific goal would breathe life into these characters and make it easier for me to write with their worldview in mind (which would also help with deep POV, another homework activity!).
Not only did my characters need an external goal, the needed an internal goal. The external goal would drive the plot and thrust my character from one wild situation to the next. Sure, that may be enough for an (boring) action film, but my MC needed an internal goal as strong as the external one. Especially since my manuscript is meant to be emotional.
This took weeks to nail down, because changing the MC’s goal to something specific ultimately changed the plot.
For example, my main character wanting to work for a AAA video game company was very different than wanting to create a virtual reality indie game. They’re both solid and specific goals, but they would propel my character into two different directions.
So, my established goal had to all fit perfectly into place. Alas, every time I thought of a specific goal, it would change my entire plot, which I didn’t want.
Why, why couldn’t I figure it out?? (Spoiler alert: I later figured out why. I’ll touch on this later)
Eventually, I got it. Kinda. I was close enough.
Okay, onto the next thing:
The Beat Sheet
My story started out slow, so I had to cut out some scenes and move some major events closer to the beginning. Which meant I needed to add more scenes to the end, and overall beef my story up into a hunky manuscript.
I followed a basic beat sheet that included…
- Inciting Incident
- End of Act 1
- Pinch Point #1
- Midpoint
- Pinch Point #2
- Crisis
- Climax
- Resolution
So, now I had to craft a plot that also melded with the GMC’s I established, along with making sure it didn’t stray from the heart of my story, which I covered in my first video.
Easier said than done (for me, at least).
Once I got the pieces to fit into place on the beat sheet, my GMC was different, again.
I had a hard time putting all these small pieces together. The GMC had to line up with the beat sheet, while keeping the general theme of my story. I felt like I was jamming a square peg into a round hole.
I kept getting stuck. I couldn’t really see the big picture of my whole story enough to fill in all the details. Sure, I knew the general direction I wanted to take it, but to come up with all of these pieces before I sat down to revise was terribly difficult for me, and I had no idea why (spoiler alert: I later figured out why. I’ll touch on this later).
So, having a decent enough GMC and beat sheet, I moved on to crafting my scenes.
Scene work
This part was fun for me! Every scene needed to have a main plot point, but it also needed a character point. So, something externally needed to push my character forward (like a speaker at a comic book convention). But something had to happen that meant something to my MC to make them push forward internally (that speaker inspiring my MC to take the next step to developing her own game). This goes back to the whole external and internal GMC thing.
I did this for every single scene. If it didn’t have a plot or character point, I either added it or cut the scene. This ensured the scene had a purpose, and it drove my character toward the next plot point (and made sure my MC pushed herself forward, instead of simply the plot doing it).
Okay, cool! I did all my homework. Everything got approved. I was READY TO REVISE!
Revisions
So, I sat down, started revising, and things started to fall into place. With my scenes so carefully laid out, I had a foundation. I knew what they needed to be about.
As I revised, the GMC shifted. Yes, it changed again. And when I finished my revisions, I was easily able to pinpoint my characters GMC, the beats, and all the points. It was all super clear to me after I dived into the actual manuscript. A round peg easily slid into a round hole.
I was so surprised how easy it all fell into place after I revised verses how difficult it was once I was done revising my manuscript. My brain simply couldn’t look at the details before looking at the big picture. It had to look at the big picture and sort the details out from there.
While I see the benefit of such extensive plotting beforehand, it confused and stifled me at times. I lost track of the story I wanted to tell, because I was trying to get that specific goal right, or that specific beat. I totally see the value in doing that way, but the whole strategy made me learn something about myself: I am not a hard-core plotter. My brain and writing process simply doesn’t work that way. It was so much easier for me to learn my GMC and plot points with my manuscript open in front of me as opposed to doing them separately.
I need to actively tear my book apart, scene by scene, to find those vital GMC’s and beats.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with intensely plotting before writing or revising. Heck, I wish I could efficiently write that way, because it would cut down on a lot of revising time. But I also think it’s important to find your own process.
I have to thank my mentor for adding some structure into my writing process. Now, I can fold what I learned into my process and develop something that works perfect for me. But, of course, I want to continue to grow and learn with every manuscript I write!
