Who I’m talking to:

-      Writers with full manuscripts

-      Who are in revision hell, or thinking about it

In the next 45 minutes, we’ll cover:

-      What revision hell is

-      How to avoid it (and make it work for you)

-      How to self-identify, pinpoint, and solve common feedback issues, e.g. pacing and predictability

-      Then: Q&A

-      Plus: we’ll cover best practices for how and when to use beta readers

What is Revision Hell?

-      Revision hell is (at its worst) where we think about giving up

Why Revision Hell is Such a Delight

-      A lot of hard work is done already

-      It’s where we see our stories pop

-      It’s a chance to step back and see the story as a whole

Why Revision Hell is so Hard

-      Conflicting feedback

-      Not having a clear path to identifying what’s wrong

-      Overwhelm to-do list

Avoiding Revision Hell: A 6-Step Process

Everyone’s brain works differently

High-level Story View

-      Pixar “story spine”: once upon a time, until one day, because of that, until finally, and now

-      Save the Cat, Hero’s Journey, Story Grid

-      Story Graph (Vonnegut)

At a Certain Point, We Need to Be Able to See Our Entire Story as a Whole so We can See What’s Wrong

Most Favorite: The Inside Outline by Jennie Nash

-      Also: Blueprint for a Book

-      Founder of Author Accelerator

What: The Inside Outline

-      Combines plot (what happens) with point (why it matters to the protagonist)

Why Do We Care about the “Point”?

-      Plot is only relevant when we know how it affects the protagonist

-      Avoids “This Happened, then This Happened” -i.e. plot without emotion

-      Emotional arc

Why: The Inside Outline?

-      I used to be a hard-core pantser

-      Malleable

-      Can see logic jumps, plot holes, etc.

-      3 pages easier than 400 pages

Step 1: Make an As-Is Inside-Outline

-      Deviation is common, even with plotters

-      Go chapter-by-chapter

-      Plot/Point pairings

-      Max of 3 pages (single space, Times Roman, 12 point)

-      Max of 6 lines per plot/point pairing

Inside-Outline Tips

-      Plot-external; [point-internal

-      Name the major malfunction at each plot-point

-      What does each scene mean to the POV character? How does it change them?

-      Struggling? www.jennienash,com/fictionblueprint

Example:

Jules POV

Plot: Jules arrives on the island. 7 co-workers. Annual company retreat, arranged by CEO S. Jules hates camping, but she’ll do anything for S. to keep her job. K recognized A from a horror movie. S acts weird. During C’s night 1 ghost story, the teams hears screams from the woods, S, who loves pulling pranks, is missing.

Point: J’s entire self-worth is wrapped up in her job, to the point where she’s back in the woods, a place where she vowed never to go again after X’s murder three years ago. When S goes missing, J is terrified it will end the same way. She let X down, and she can’t let that happen again

(Unknown to reader: Mid-Twist, introduced here)

(Reader most suspects K)

Step 2: Take a Break

-      Good: 1 week

-      Better: 3 weeks or more

Big Picture Docs are not Easy

-      Give your brain time to take a step back

-      Goal: see what’s not there

-      Reader clarity is key

-      Draft your book jacket copy, query (story hook/question)

Ask Yourself – and Keep a List

-      Story hook clearly stated? Resolved?

-      Actions make sense? Logical Flow?

-      Agency? MacGuffins out?

-      Anchoring & Reader Clarity: who/what/why/when/where?

Step 3: Critical Editor Eye on As-Is IO

-      Take off your writer hat

-      Use your as-is IO

-      Separate list for “to-do’s

-      Use Jenny Nash 10-point checklist (fictionblueprint/10-pt checklist)

Pacing is Off

-      Look at as-is, highlight high/low moments with different colors

-      Too much low in a row? Add suspense

-      Too much high in a row? Add a recap scene.

Too Predictable

-      Reveals vs twists

-      Work backwards

-      What can be removed

-      Misdirection via red herrings, inner thoughts

-      Turn tropes on their head

Not Believable

-      Reader needs plausible believability

-      Look at logical progression of scenes

-      MacGuffins

-      Reader Clarity

Boring

-      Reader confusion

-      Info dumps & flashbacks: present story relevance

-      Narrative drive, change (because of that)

-      Clear opposition to what protagonist wants

Didn’t Like Characters/Voice

-      Not personal

-      Reader clarity with “why” (engagement)

-      Agency

-      Major malfunction, but save a cat

-      Perfection = boring

Way Over/Under Count?

-      Target for Scifi: 100-115k

-      Go back to as-is IO

-      Does the ending make sense without subplot

-      Add a twist by adding a subplot or new POV

-      Description/info dumping

Still Stuck?

-      Consider hiring help

-      Find someone you “vibe” with, who “gets” what you’re trying to do

Remember: books in the bookstore did not spring forth in the final state