“Okay, here it is.” Sally plunked down a thick sheaf of paper, bound by a rubber band.  “72,834 words.”

“I’m impressed.”  I handed her a victory candy cane mocha.

“I’m exhausted.  My brain is a noodle.  I wrote late at night, early in the morning, while boiling macaroni and cheese. I’ve thought about this novel in my sleep, while doing laundry, driving my kids to school.  All I do is think about this book.”

“But, do you like it?”

She smiled.  “I do.  But it needs so much work, and I’m not sure where to start. I have a jumbled mess. I have misspelled words and run on sentences and grammatically incorrect paragraphs…ugly.”

“No worries.  Today, I’m going to tell you what to do with that mess!

“First, Let your Brain Rest.

1. Set it aside.  Hopefully you took notes during the revision phase.  For at least a day – maybe 3 – set it aside and let the story just marinate.  You’ll be thinking o Set it aside.  Hopefully you took notes during the revision phase.  For at least a day – maybe 3 – set it aside and let the story just marinate.  You’ll be thinking of all the things you might want to add, different layers and themes, etc.
2. b.     Keep a notebook of these ideas. 
3. Do other things. Exercise, clean the house, cook, go for walks. Let your brain breathe.
4. Read another book. Seriously.  You’ll be reminded of layers to add or scenes you might want to put in.  

“That sounds perfect. I have a stack of books I want to read. And I should probably clean my house.”

“But you’re not quite done yet. After you’ve rested, then it’s time for the Storycrafter Overhaul.” 

I start with:  Quick and Dirty Touch up: Gather up your notes and implement the rewrites you have in your notes.  I like to do this now before I forget them.  But I’m still in the rough draft stage.  *If I have big rewrites, then I wait until the next part to implement them.  These are about adding in metaphors and names, and food and clothing. But, if I have to add big scenes, then I put those in the Macro Edit Stage. 

Overhaul:  Now start to look at the big pieces.  We’re talking Macro Story Edits.

• Dark Moment – Greatest Fear/Lie
• Happy Moment – Heal the Wound, happy ending?
• LINDY HOP – do you have the structure?
• Final Battle ending?
• Essential Scenes

I usually have the big ones, but I often forget a couple:

• Meet the Hero, or Heroine
•  If I could only – what stands in his way to storming the castle and rescuing the princess.  
• All I want is to be Happy – the story about his fondest memory and why, and what his greatest dream is.  ry – the revelation of his past romances.  (We need to know what holds them back
• Out of Character scene – have them do something that goes contrary to their goals.
• What if I lose everything scene: This shows us what is at STAKE as well as what they fear.
•  Black Moment EVENT scene…You can’t have a book without these scene!  This is what causes him to change!
•  Breakdown/Epiphany Scene.  This is his/her change, the truth that sets them free!
•  The Sacrificial Act.  It makes him heroic, but also changes him into the person he needs to be. (AKA, what can they do at the end that they can’t at the beginning?  Shows they are a new, improved person!)
•  

After I have overhauled the Story and have all the Structure in place, that’s when I start on Scene by Scene editing.”

“Stop! That’s enough for this week.” She pressed her hands to her head.

“Breathe, Sally. Drink your cocoa.  Watch the snowflakes.  You deserve it.”

Truth:  Every Fast Draft needs editing. The first draft is just the raw material – you will need to analyze and rewrite.

Dare: Take a breath, take a week or two to let your brain rest, then go through the macro edits of your story and make sure you have the big pieces before you start the scene by scene edits!

Happy Editing!

Susie May

P.P.S Would you like to get FREE one-time 24 hour access pass to the MBT Advanced Team Member Locker Room and discover what all the buzz is about? Get your free 24 hour pass here and you’ll also be invited to the My Book Therapy Open House Thursday, 7pm CST.   www.mybooktherapy.com/join-the-team/