Yesterday I was cooking and opened a cabinet for a Corningware dish.
It wasn’t there.
After a lot of looking, I found it in a completely different location of the kitchen in a cabinet I rarely use.
Did I have a mild stroke before putting it away? Was I under the influence of allergy medication?
Oh. No, my husband had unloaded the dishwasher for me. I reminded myself that that was nice of him. Although he doesn’t seem to know where anything goes.
Then I looked at the location he’d chosen for the dish. He’s the rational side of my brain—which I completely outsourced to him since I’m not very rational. The storage location made very good sense—it was closer to the food preparation area of the kitchen. It was in an uncluttered cabinet, meaning there was less chance of the bowl being broken. It was actually a better location.
Sometimes I get so focused on the way my manuscript is, that I don’t see the possibilities for what it could be.
This seems to happen a lot with a story’s timeline. One of the last books I wrote seemed weak at the beginning, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. The character introduction had gone well, and I’d brought in a little conflict.
I decided to take the discovery of the murdered body and move it up fifteen pages.
This completely changed the beginning of the book. The characters needed to be introduced in a totally different way—one that revolved around the victim more. Because the murder victim wasn’t the most popular person (they rarely are in mysteries), this meant more tension and conflict at the beginning of the book.
Obviously, this is time-consuming—not something you’re going to want to take on unless you notice a weakness in your novel. It’s like reorganizing the kitchen—do you really want to take that kind of task on unless you can see a possible real benefit?
If you do want to rearrange some storylines or events in your book, here are some ways to approach it:
Have a first reader take a look at the manuscript. At the very least, they can point out places where your story dragged. Those are the very spots that might benefit from either adding conflict or reordering the storyline to bring conflict forward and increase the pace.
Take a break from the manuscript and come back later with fresh eyes. It doesn’t have to be a really long break…even a couple of days can help.
I’ve now heard several writers rave over the shrunken manuscript method. Basically, you remove the chapter breaks, single space the whole thing, and reduce the font until the story takes up about 30 pages. Using a highlighter, mark your strongest chapters. You put the manuscript down on the floor in 3 rows of 10 sheets and take a look at the big picture. This is a post from A.B.Fenner who used this method to find and fix problem areas.
Timelines can also be useful to pinpoint problems. Having trouble summing up what’s going on for a particular place in your timeline? That’s an indication there’s an issue, right there.
Have you done any major reorganizing of storylines lately? How did you approach it?
That’s what I’m doing RIGHT NOW. And yes it is a lot of work. An utter PITA.
But some things are much better. Some things are awful, but will be much better when I’ve had a rest and can come back to them. And some scenes … well maybe they can just go away, if I’m lucky.
But overall, it does feel good. Like I’m sculpting a story and making it all fit in 3 dimensions.
I’m not a fan of rearranging things in the kitchen – or on my desk – but I do like moving things around in my stories. Mostly just to see what would happen.
Thanks for the excellent post.
For me I call it tunnel vision when I keep things where they have always been or where they “should” be. But many times my idea of where an object should be placed is not as good as another.
I really needed this post today. I need to think outside the box and try the methods you have linked to.
Again thanks for your helpful posts, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth – I know all about major re-organization! In fact, that’s been an issue with my WIP. I’ve had to move around events, add and subtract characters, the whole thing. In fact, one of the major characters – the murderer, actually – is now introduced in a completely different place, etc.. In the end, the book will be better for it, but it’s been a pain! I’ve found your idea of having a reader look work over to be one of the best things I’ve ever done for my own writing. I have two beta-readers whose word I trust. They look over what I read and that’s often when I spot things that need to be re-organized.
Good timing. ( I guess- this was going to be an upcoming blog topic for me!) We just got our new master bedroom closet and had to decide where to put everything. We’re also “playing” with where stuff in the kitchen goes–kind of a trial run, because we’re going to get new cabinets, so everything will have to come out and get put back.
My hubby is terrible about not putting things back where they came from–although he’s just as likely to leave them on the counters.
My aunt used to ‘help’ by putting dishes, etc. away. She’d never ask where they went; she’d put them where they’d go in her house.
Everything worth while is a lot of work, I’m realizing. Sometimes I just don’t have the energy…sigh!
Karen
I like this – it reminds me of what Anne Lamott writes about in ‘Bird by Bird’ when she is struggling with a manuscript. She puts the whole thing on the floor with holding pages and arrows and god knows what. I’ve always been horrified and excited about that story! When I go back to ‘True’ in a week I’m thinking of writing a series of summaries – three or four of about 3 thousand words. I’ll keep at it until I get the one I like then I’ll use it to write my 2nd draft. I LOVE TRICKS AND TIPS!
I’ve never done any major reorganizing, but I always use a timeline. Keeps me from making continuity mistakes with the characters, too.
I can so relate to this. Both the writing part and the husband part. As a military family, we’ve moved A LOT. I’ve always unpacked and put away, for the most part. Especially the kitchen. And husband has always carried on that everything is in the wrong place. When we moved to San Antonio last year, he was home. I said the kitchen is yours, and I stayed away. A day or so later, he realized I meant it. Much grumbling and much rearranging later, he has it the way he wants it. For me … many things are out of place – LOL.
I agonize over when that body shows up. Do you hint about it right at the beginning or do you wait until your main characters have been introduced? I’ve learned murder mystery readers want a body (or at least a hint on who’s about to hit the floor) fairly early.
I congratulate you on your attitude to the new location for the dish – I’m not sure I could adjust that quickly! However, it makes more sense to be there…
I’ve found that when I’m really stuck on a story, and despite numerous editing sessions it still isn’t right, moving scenes around can freshen it up. It’s amazing what rearranging can do.
Yes, I totally understand this. I’m facing this choice today with my WIP. I write in the hot fires of inspiration, just barreling ahead and not thinking of timeline, or scene order, etc. Then the cold eye came in and sees how all-over-the-place it is, and it’s looking like, yeah, some things will need to be moved up.
The shrinking novel idea is so crazy that it’s brilliant.
I love the analogy! I am the left brain at my house. Sadly my husband just gets MAD if I move things to the more logical spots. *rolls eyes*
That shrunken method sounds NUTS! (like so crazy it might even work). Here is an analogy for you… say you went into someone ELSE’S kitchen to arrange it… I find first reading for OTHER people offers such insight in what I’ve failed to do because I was just TOO CLOSE to be objective. In our our stuff we can be so attached to ONE thing, that we rearrange a lot of others to fit it, when in reality, the smarter thing is just to leave that piece out (or put it later) so that the largest number of ‘right things’ fit where they need to.
And I totally forgot to mention that I’ve got a couple awards for you…
The last two items you mentioned I’ve not heard before but they sound like really interesting methods of seeing your work differently. I’m going to try them on my next manuscript. Thank you.
CD
I usually end up moving some scenes around, which always requires careful editing to make sure I correct anything referring to those scenes, so it is a time consuming project – like rearranging the kitchen cabinets. I use a combo of first reader and take a break method. However, I’m intrigued by the shrunken method and may have to try it next time.
I’ve not heard of the shrunken manuscript method before. Very interesting.
I’m doing a re-shuffle of a manuscript now. And I know I’ll have to do it again since I’m also adding in stuff.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Great analogy of your husband unloading the dishwasher and “misplacing” the item. Yes, the new perspective can be better, and it’s hard to let go of the control at first, yet we can see that when we have help and those other eyes and hands, we’re better for it. On a related note: I just wrote an article for our local women’s magazine on women and money. I use that same analogy, but a different way. Women don’t allow their husbands to unload the dishwasher because they’re afraid he’ll do it wrong and put things in a place where they can’t find it, but they’ll give him full control of their finances. It is an article on gaining control and perspective.
It’s a rare newer writer who doesn’t need to cut and rearrange, particularly at the beginning of the novel.
The trick is to realize that much of what we put down at the beginning is for ourselves, not the reader, because, even those of us who use outlines are still trying to figure out things.
No major rearranging of of my story, but I have put countless dishes in the wrong place.
On my ‘learning’ ms, I did a huge timeline shift. It required me to rewrite the first half of the book – but I sure learned a lot about rewriting!
The Daring Novelist–I bury plenty of scenes, too! I frequently wonder what the heck I was thinking when I wrote them…
Cassandra–I’m one of those people who usually can’t imagine how something will read unless I actually do a cut and paste on a draft and read it through with the changes. I do that with furniture, too–move them all around to see how they look. I can’t seem to picture things in my head well!
Jan–I love that book. :) It does sound a lot like her method…I’d forgotten about that.
Diane–That’s true…it would definitely help with the continuity issues.
Journaling Woman–It’s definitely tunnel vision and I have it all the time with all sorts of things! Good luck thinking outside the box.
Margot–It sounds like it’s been a LOT of work! I’ve sunk a ton of time into that kind of stuff, too. But it always makes it so much better!
Hart–It DOES seem crazy, doesn’t it? But apparently it can highlight manuscript “big picture” flaws in a visual way.
Cutting out a big spot does help, too. Unfortunately, I seem to write on target with my word count and then it means more additions to fill in the gaps.
Watery Tart said…
Thanks for the awards! :)
Clarissa–You’re welcome. :) Hope they help.
Terry–It sounds like you’ve got an organized approach to it! I’m not sure what was going through my head when I put this stuff in my cabinets 10 years ago. Doesn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason to it.
Jane–I have heard some RAVES over it. I’ve heard about it from several different writers who thought it really gave them a big picture perspective.
Helen–It’s the tinkering that’s confusing, isn’t it? And sometimes I’ll stick some additions in, forget I made the additions, and come back a few days later and stick the same thought in at another location in the manuscript. Ack. Thank goodness for revisions…
Karen–Isn’t that the truth? It all takes so much energy…
Mary–Interesting article! I don’t do either–I’m in charge of bills and money and in charge of the kitchen. Actually, I sound quite bossy, reading this. Hmm.
Carol–Well, thankfully, my husband hasn’t had the free time to try something like that! B/c I don’t have the time to go looking for stuff in my kitchen. Now, if he gave me a cheat sheet that listed the new locations of the dishes…and it was alphabetized, and grouped by implement, then… :)
Marilynn–When we ramble, it’s sort of the writing equivalent of “ummm,” isn’t it?
Elspeth–I do, too. I actually dropped a body in the prologue for 2 books because I just wanted to get the story rolling and then get my characters introduced. I think the reader is really looking for a body very early in the book…who is the victim? Where’s the body? It’s a mystery–where’s my body!?
And I’ll admit that I do the same thing. For the sample chapters I’m writing now, I’m just dropping the body and it’s page 22.
Janel–It’s almost like moving things around in a living room–same old furniture, but it really looks fresh and different when you shuffle it around.
Activist Writer–And that’s the way I write, too. It spews, then I just kind of reach times where I’m not sure where I’m going with the story and I meander around and write myself through the dry spell. But then the dry spell has got to be fixed! Moving up the action does seem to help.
Alex–A pox on you! :)
Speaking of allergy; that’s nice up north where I am now. No trees, no pollen, no allergy. All symptoms gone >:)
Cold As Heaven
Cold as Heaven–Lucky dog! I’ve been sneezing like crazy…
Yes, forgot to bring my allergy pills, but doesn’t matter. I don’t need them here. Actually I don’t even have my own pills. I just steal some from my little boy when I need some >:)
Cold As Heaven
A timely post!
It’s so hard to see our own work. I think more than anything, the advice to ‘let it rest’ and come back is the most mandatory. No one knows our intentions for a piece as we do.
That being said, it’s EASY to get locked in the ‘sound’ of a chapter. Having words that sound ‘right’ is meaningless to plot.
I’m blind to plot! It helps to have people point out flaws, but it’s as important, in my case, to go through the exercise of finding those flaws myself, after it rests. I think the more we flex that muscle, the easier it will get.
Excellent post. I’m about to head over to the shrunken manuscript link! :)
– Corra
from the desk of a historical writer
It is such an interesting point – when you rearrange things within your story it can domino and take the story an entirely unexpected direction. Great post!
Nancy, from Realms of Thought…
Oooh, good post! I print the whole thing out on 3-hole punch paper and put it in a binder. It looks like a “book” and helps me see things that get lost on a computer screen. Then I can manually rearrange and mark where things should go.
That said, the process changes with each book I write. That shrunken manuscript thing sounds intriguing….
Thanks for the link! The Shrunken Manuscript method really was an eye-opener. You’re right — sometimes mixing things up is just the breath of fresh air our manuscripts need!
This is a great reminder to take a different look at our work from a new perspective. There is a book I’ll be re-writing later this year that I plan to do exactly this with. Thanks for the help!
Great post as usual Elizabeth! I’m at 80,000 words in my current epic (aiming for 140,000) and decided to stop and do some massive rearranging before I went further. The story is much stronger, but I find my imagination taking me off in new directions, and it’s hard to get back on track and mesh with the parts I wanted to keep.
I think I’ll try the shrunken pages to help me step back and look at the whole a little easier.