Notes

In rewriting a manuscript, I've come across several differences that vary from writing one from scratch. In the first book of SoF I rewrote last fall/winter, I was faced with the task of taking something both hideously old and out of date and transforming it completely (plot, characters and style). With that, I was also heavily challenged to both change the development of the characters and factor in many ideas that had been completely missed and/or ignored, as well as trying to match it to the later two books. (There are four books in this series, all with finished 1st drafts). With book 1 it felt like less of a challenge because I had a lot of room to explore and reinvent the beginning of my tale.

I also had the first draft of the second book acting as a buffer, so while my goal was to still make the story smooth and flow into the other three books, it was not as if I had to immediately make it fit the same tone. I'm learning so much with the book 2 rewrite, and I'm astounded all the time by how I am relearning a lot as well. I feel like since I've been writing these books for 12 years I should know exactly what to do, what to write and where to write it, but most of this remains new to me as I go along. I feel seasoned and fresh to the scene all at once.

With book 2, the one I am currently writing, this is not the case. Book 2 is by far the most important book story wise because of it's content and how it ups the stakes of everything presented in book 1. Now, I take notes on my ideas as soon as they come to me, no matter where I am, because I know I'll forgot them if I don't. While this sounds handy, I often scribble them on obscure, odd pieces of paper located at work, at school, home, etc. I have a journal I take everywhere to keep all of these ideas in one place, but sometimes I forget it. So these ideas are pretty much scattered throughout a range of various places, and while I try to collect them all as I write, sometimes I miss things. And then we have situations like what happened this week, where I rewrite an entire series of events and forget to slip in a conversation that I was stoked about earlier but overlooked because I could not remember where the notes were. Turns out I scribbled them in my sketch book, which I never do.

And while I really liked this idea and conversation that I had scribbled about in my sketchbook, when I found my notes and skimmed them, I found out that what I had written and how the events had unfolded were ten times more accurate to the characters and the story than my "super cool" conversation idea had been. Basically it was going to be a discussion between the protagonist and the antagonist without the protagonist knowing he was speaking to the source of his misery and woe. That was going to be how I "introduced" my hero to my villain, and I thought at the time that it was clever and would give the scene an edge. It was going to be a cat and mouse game of the antagonist teasing whatever he wanted out of the poor main character Lonlor Swift, and Lonlor thinking he was in the company of a stranger that was on his side.

The major problem with this is that at the point where Allan (my bad guy) would approach Lonlor anonymously, said hero is feeling immensely betrayed and has so much conflict going on internally that Allan speaking to him would cause him to immediately jump to conclusions and mistrust (as he tends to do). The conversation would be very short, and Allan would be left looking like an utter fool. Which he is not.

If I had remembered where those notes were, the scene that is now unchangeable would have been written so much differently. I know I would have gone by my notes because this is a scene that got me "stuck" and wondering how to overcome it, and a simple fix like a few jotted sentences would have been very easy to enter. I didn't, and I think the story is better for it. I often find myself writing down ideas, thinking them utterly fitting for the story, and then being swept so far out to sea by the same story that I forget to insert them completely. I come back to them and say "Darn it, that was good" but then look back at my imperfect scene that just spewed from my fingertips in spurts, and realize "Well yes, it was, but this could be great. This is where it needs to be." Situations and characters change from what I originally plan.

Sometimes my story just needs me to get lost in it instead of it lost to me. Most of the time all I need to do is stop flouncing about trying to make every scene memorable, and to just write. I desperately want my story to be something that readers are immersed in, that they can barely tear themselves from, but what I want most of all is for me to be immersed. When I read books, I can tell when the author was in their world, with their characters, and when they were eyeing the entire story with a scrutinizing gaze and throwing in turns to spice it up.

Stories don't need flare, or edge, or added excitement and epic scenes at every corner. The scene I wrote instead of the one I planned was ten times better suited to the moment and situation, to the characters and story, and I think that gave it its own special place. I still keep all my notes and all of my discarded ideas, because maybe one day they will spark something different, or remind me of how I once went with the story instead of my head. I'll never downplay having and taking notes, or brainstorming ideas and using those, because I do it all the time.

But sometimes, it pays just to let the story breathe by itself without shoving an oxygen mask on it. Sometimes it pays just to lean forward and let it take on a life of its own.

I'm learning with this draft that when I do, when I stop worrying and concerning myself over details, magic happens.

And I like where it's taking me.