You’ve completed a first draft, you look at the mound of papers on your desk, and wonder what next.
How do you look at your draft with new eyes. There is a lot of advice about putting your novel in a drawer for a few weeks before looking at it again, sending it to others for a beta read, reading it aloud etc.
But what if you want to do something more practical and immediate?
For each scene ask yourself: WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS SCENE?
Try not to answer in a generic way.
An easy answer is: Moves the story forward.
To me, that’s too general. How does the scene move the story forward? Be as specific as you can.
Ask yourself: Does the scene
- have an important revelation, clue or red herring?
- develop a character? To me this means, does the reader learn something new about a character that is important to a story?
- introduce a new character?
- show character motivation?
- give the reader a break after a high action scene?
- give the reader action after a break scene (sometimes called a sequel scene)?
- foreshadow, give backstory or contain an important flashback?
- develop setting that is important to the story and not just setting for the sake of describing something?
- close off loose ends?
- solve the crime?
If you can’t articulate the point of a scene, think about removing the scene.
If the point of the scene is weak, see if you can take what is important in a scene and move it to another scene. Then delete the weak scene.
I use a spreadsheet to keep track of each scene. One column is dedicated to the point of the scene. If a cell remains empty when I’ve reviewed the entire novel then the scene must go.
Please share any tips you can add in the comments below.
I used this technique while writing DESCENT, BLAZE and AVALANCHE.
Thanks for reading…
If you’re interested, you can buy or download a sample of DESCENT at: myBook.to/Descent
Creative Story Editors 
Thanks for sharing these useful tips, Kristina. I like your idea of using a spreadsheet for each scene. Your mathematical background is showing! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Carol, I couldn’t write without a spreadsheet. I don’t use it until I have a draft ready and then a create it line by line. Takes time, but worth it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I doubt spell check would catch this…
How do you look at your draft with new eyes. There is a lot of advice about putting your novel in a drawer for a weeks before looking at it again,
“for a weeks” should either be “for weeks” or “for a week”
Please feel free to not post comments.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oops. Updated 🙂 My comments post automatically…
LikeLike
Thank you Kristina for this great advice I am learning very quickly that writing is not just a case of putting pen to paper and you have a novel 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope the advice helps you. The point of scene makes me focus. I’m going through the process with AVALANCHE and have removed 2 scenes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am only half way through my first draught sohave a way go yet but it’s very helpful to know what my next step will be once I have finished my first draught……I have been tempted so many times to cut before I have finished and have been advised against it..good advice I think 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you do cut, keep the scene. I store all my deleted scenes in case I change my mind. I’ve even used a cut scene in a different novel. Just give the scene a meaningful title so you remember what it’s about.
LikeLike