Hello, hello! I thought I’d drop in to share how I finish a first draft.
That’s right, I said finish.
This is always my second to last step. It comes after writing most or all of the thing, rainbowing the story, and considering what I need to change and adjust now that I know the scope of the narrative. I call this step the
Plot Re-Order
I use it to make sure the story is going in the direction I need it to, and to make sure all of the information is being given/released at the proper times for the reader to understand everything.
What I do:
Get a blank piece of paper (or a large mirror/white board and some expo markers)
Read the story and mentally take notes of where the information is out of order (write them down if you need to, but make sure you have a clean writing surface left over!)
Go through the story again and write down the plot you want the story to have on that nifty piece of paper.
This way, you’ll be able to see the narrative and character arcs more clearly.
Go back through the story and shuffle things around until you’re satisfied, referencing the Plot Paper. (I stick mine on the wall next to my laptop.)
Rejoice, for thy plot is now clean(er)!
It’s kind of like an essay outline, but completely backwards.
I find this to be super helpful, especially since I tend to get my different drafts mixed up in my head. Having two different things in front of me on two different mediums helps me keep track of what I’m doing vs what I should be doing.
This can also be helpful if you get stuck or lost while you’re drafting.
More about my own process under the cut, including pictures and more in-depth explanations!
Here’s what the process looks like for me (though less blurry, of course):
[Check out the post I made on rainbowing if you wanna know what the colors mean! I added red, which I use to title scenes and mark narrative breaks and shifts.]
This is a super duper zoomed out version of half of my rainbowed first editing draft (it looks super weird like this, I don’t like it). I’ve already started shuffling here, which is why the pink is so spread out. It used to be all clumped up at the top, which is where I had a big ‘ole infodump. Ew.
To fix that, I used my Plot Paper to see where I talked about things that could easily segway into exposition.
Said Plot Paper(s) and my bad handwriting:
I have a lot of scenes for a short story, eh? #fantasy
Beside each scene “title,” I write:
What I did in the scene
Describe, reference, explain, mention, etc.
Sometimes reasons for what I did if I think I need a reminder for later (I usually do)
What happens in the scene
The literal plot, character introductions, setting changes, important information drops
What my characters did in the scene
In terms of development, like how they’re feeling, mostly, and how that changes.
Sometimes I mention motivations and reasons for actions as they change
Time Shifts
When each scene takes place in the timeline and for how long
I also take notes on the sides and in any blank space I can find when an idea strikes me, I need to re-think some formatting, I should keep track of something in my next draft/read through, or a tiny adjustment should be considered.
Once I have everything sorted out, I go through my draft and make adjustments.
Ta-dah!
That’s it!
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