Lesson Two Eureka

[djmills]

I could not believe the work I needed to do for lesson two, but I persisted. Am I glad I did.

I knew before I started I was lacking in description and emotion. I write first drafts that way, consciously working on the details of the plot, keeping the theme in mind as I go, but only barely covering enough description for each character while I worked on the action.

Now I know exactly where each item needs to be described in full if it is important enough for more than three scenes. I also recognise where I could get carried away with unnecessary detail on certain items and actions.

Now I know exactly where each secondary character needs to be described in more detail if they are important to the main char and the main story plot and only score 2-3.

Now I understand exactly where each walkon character needs to be either downgraded or given more room in the few scenes where he is relevent.

Oh, I also found one unplanned promise that needs its loose ends tied up.

But, most of all, what I can now see, is that if I add more detail to the main characters the readers will care for them as much as I do.

This is mind blowing. I can't thank Holly enough, but thank you Holly. The course was worth just this lesson.

[LisaM]

That's great, Diane! Knowing this now is going to save you so much time when it comes to the rewrite and filling in details.

I've finished my 2A worksheets, my antagonist has now revealed himself to me and I've just started the 2B worksheets. The amount of work IS daunting. Getting through your ms in 2 days is a great achievement. I hold out hope that I can do the same!

[djmills]

Getting through your ms in 2 days is a great achievement.

I started at 9:30 am Monday and worked until 11:00pm on it. Think I had an hour break for lunch.
Tuesday started at 10:30am and worked on it until well after midnight. 1.5 hour break.
I worked on the last 75 pages this morning.
Lots of hours but worth it.

Now I am going back to lesson 1 on my YA story for the rest of the week.
Diane

[flid]

Getting through your ms in 2 days is a great achievement.

I started at 9:30 am Monday and worked until 11:00pm on it. Think I had an hour break for lunch.
Tuesday started at 10:30am and worked on it until well after midnight. 1.5 hour break.
I worked on the last 75 pages this morning.
Lots of hours but worth it.

Now I am going back to lesson 1 on my YA story for the rest of the week.
Diane

I have two novels that need revising....hows it going managing two?

[djmills]

I have two novels that need revising....hows it going managing two?

I reread Lesson 1 again to refresh my mind on what I was looking for, noted it on a yellow sticky note and started reading the second novel.
Still working on it.
I must admit I am finding things to add to Lesson 2 worksheets but holding off until I finish Lesson 1 stuff.
Diane

[ccampbell]

Hi,

I didn't get all that much out of the lesson 1 worksheets, except a general impression that the ending wasn't as bad as I thought it was and there was something off with the first third of the book (though not what, just that I was uncomfortable with it, but not why I was uncomfortable).

I haven't even started the 2b worksheets yet, just staring at them thinking its such a lot of work (thanks for the encouraging words on how useful it is), but already, based on the 2a sheets I have made some interesting breakthroughs on the plot. One of my biggest issues was feeling that the beginning was wrong. I have just figured out how to fix that!

Thanks Holly this process definitely works. Its hard to resist jumping in and re writing already! But I know, wait until the process is finished, because more surprises/insights will come.

[Laurel]

Okay, it's true. I did moan about lesson two. Mostly about the weight thing. It was basically like this:

Moan. Okay, let's see, one...two..six...moan, moan, moan. Why can't I just put 15 and be done with it? I KNOW this character is at least...eight...ten...moan, moan moan. Can I count dialogue twice? eleven...twelve.... I have to do this for ALL the characters???
MOAN!MOAN!MOAN!

I call up my daughter. Moan, moan, moan. MoooooaaaaaaN!

And she says "What's wrong?"

And I say, "Well, I missing a stupid link between this...and this, so I rated it 1. AND my bad henchman #2 popped up way, way, way at the end of the story where he is about a 10 +lb dope who has no basis for being in the scene. AND the baddest of the baddest has a like, a ZERO rating because she's off stage for most of the book. AND there's a bloody pendant with an 8+ rating that doesn't do a darn thing and disappears somewhere between chapter 7 and the last chapter! It's terrible! I think I promised the equivalent of a tourism guide in the opening chapter! MOOOOOAAAAN!"

"Mom, how could you possibly know there are all these problems in the story?"

silence. (okay maybe a little moan.)

silence.

silence.

Dagnabbit. I think I just had one of those "Eureka!" moments.

Laurel

[Cat-Gerlach]

Yes, I got that feeling, too. It's amazing, isn't it? The only thing is that you don't notice while you're still working on it.

[marti-v]

I went into this knowing I need to cut about 75K words from my novel. This lesson is clarifying which 75,000 words, and giving them to me in huge chunks!

First, I now know that all the set-up I did for the next three books in the planned series can come out. They muddy the waters, and (thanx to HtTS) I'd do better with a stand-alone novel, with the next three set in the same world but not in a series.

I know that Isyr and Captain Sandar are toast! I love the characters, but they don't do enough for the story to remain. Isyr may show up in the next one, but Captain Sandar is probably lost forever.

And I can see that the previous revision(s) chopped out some stuff that has to remain.

I'd say I'll be able to thin out 5000 words just from what I've already found, and I'm less than halfway through the lesson! And of course I'll have more to add in here and there, as well.

My biggest problem right now: What to do about generic bandits? My male MCs are training a bandit gang in combat techniques, and it doesn't make sense not to call them by name, especially when assigning demerits. But the specific characters don't really do anything except provide substance to the gang. They have very small individual roles, and in some cases they're only names. What do I do about them? Does anybody have an idea that might help?

Never mind. This is Lesson 2. I just realized I don't have to decide what to do about them at this point. (But I want to know!)

[Cat-Gerlach]

They have very small individual roles, and in some cases they're only names. What do I do about them? Does anybody have an idea that might help?

Never mind. This is Lesson 2. I just realized I don't have to decide what to do about them at this point. (But I want to know!)

As far as I understood it is ok to have named characters (even if they speak). As long as their point count doesn't get too high you have fulfilled your promise if they have their scene ore two that ties up their stories. If you fill in lots of background information on any of them (like the child who lost its parents in Holly's first novel) you made a much bigger promise and have to either cut or expand that storyline.

An idea: if they are rather unimportant (individually), why not all them with codename and number (like Gad 1) or titles (like "cadet").

[djmills]

My biggest problem right now: What to do about generic bandits? My male MCs are training a bandit gang in combat techniques, and it doesn't make sense not to call them by name, especially when assigning demerits. But the specific characters don't really do anything except provide substance to the gang. They have very small individual roles, and in some cases they're only names. What do I do about them? Does anybody have an idea that might help?

If the MC is training them, he would know their names. When he talkes the MC gets the 2 points not the bandits. You can show the action through the eyes of the MC.

So, to show MC is training, you describe group (bandits) laying on their stomach gripping a rifle and aiming at a target in the distance. Then the MC would walk along the row of bandits and say something like, "Johnstone, pull your elbows back. Brown, don't close both eyes, and you," pointing to bandit with black hat, "what the hell do you think you are doing. I said lay on your stomach, not your back."

See, what I mean, the bandits can be named, but not really described enough to add points to their character list, so reader gets feel for action, but no particular details of the group of bandits. I don't see any promises for the individual bandits, but I see a promise for the group of bandits. They have to either improve or not. The promise is to let the reader know if they improved or not.

Hope this helps, rather than confusing you more.
Diane

[marti-v]

Diane, that helps a great deal. It's exactly the situation in my chapter. Except for the rifles, of course, since mine is a traditional fantasy.

Thanx for your help!

[Holly-Think]

I've just now read through this thread, and I'm thrilled.

What you're getting from lesson 2 is what you're supposed to be getting---that stark realization that an awful lot of what you thought was in the book was actually still in your head, while things you never consciously intended to have in there slipped in and grew huge.

I've loved these posts and seeing what you're discovering.

Congratulations. You're kicking ass.

[MegsP]

It's funny, the one thing I knew happened to me by surprise in this book was when I wrote the opening scene around this music box and I knew when I wrote it, though it was an arbitrary choice (he had to be carving something, that with the three repetitions and Annie looking at it so intently, that somehow I would have to do something with it.

That's the one unplanned promise I made and by gut instinct, as you all have said, knew I would have to keep and did.

Then doing all this I found out why.

Amazing.

[Cat-Gerlach]

Then doing all this I found out why.
Amazing.

Congrats! It's a wonderful feeling - a bit like fitting the last piece of a puzzle. Way to go!


Edited to add:
I got my own eureka today. I reread my 1B notes and realized that I have more 1Be than a,b,c and d! That lifted my mood considerably.