House of Cards

Ever find that a great new idea for plot or a detail about a character’s backstory - once enthusiastically integrated - backfires because it requires the rewriting of a bunch of previous scenes?

Once I told a fellow writer that I was stuck three-quarters of the way through revising my manuscript. When I explained what brought me to a screeching halt - the paralysis of too many &!^%$#@ ideas! - she responded, “You’re not stuck if you’re full of ideas. You just need to get organized.” Easy, right? But switching from the creative part of my brain to the part that organizes…not so much.

I took a look at what I was doing wrong. I was plugging changes immediately into the relevant scene, only to find they wrought havoc with earlier scenes, felling my house of cards time after time. To set my novel back on its foundation, I’d fallen into the trap of rewriting earlier scenes to support all my new brainstorms. Again and again. The process was overwhelming.

I’ll bet I’m not alone in having to learn the hard way that it’s better to just make a note of where changes will be needed, and later plug them in when I’m ready to rework an entire act or step into a new draft. It’s either that, or start taking a pill to shut my brain down when it starts to fizz at three in the morning.

Hallie Ephron, in Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel, suggests maintaining a “scene-by-scene outline”…a list tracking the main plot points, time lapsed from last scene, and so forth. She recommends keeping it spare, and would probably frown on my additions. (I confess, they do require a bit of scotch tape once I print.) But I find the scene list a useful means to also keep tabs on each scene’s goal, obstacle, and surprise; questions raised that will need answering; as well as word count, research required, and subplots forwarded by the scene. But most important, I use my scene list to keep track of changes.

A digital approach makes it easier. So I maintain my list in spreadsheet form, in rows and columns. One row for each scene, a different column for each element I want to track. I can move an entire row to a different location, or merge two scenes when necessary. In the midst of a brainstorm, I type notes at the bottom of the worksheet without regard to which scenes they’ll affect. When my synapses stop firing, I copy the note into each applicable scenes’ “Changes” column. When I’m ready for the next revision, I refer to my list, make all necessary changes, and write any required new scenes in a single pass.

I use Microsoft Excel worksheets, but a table in MS Word or a shareware spreadsheet application would work. Excel’s handy because I can open a second worksheet whenever I feel the urge to start fresh or add structural elements, then copy and paste from the original as needed. Once done I can switch back and forth between worksheets.

I'm on track again, sanity more or less intact. Relieved that I can allow those brain cells to keep right on sizzling. I may finish this manuscript yet!

Knock 'em dead!
Lois