Midcourse Organization or, the Final Polish?

At some point in a work, I have to stand back and give it good hard look.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of organization. All the ideas in my mind need to get written down. What does this World look like? Who lives here, how does the government work?

How does the magic work? Or the FTL?

What naming conventions are there, and maybe it’s time for a complete list of the characters so far, their age, appearance, relationship to others . . . Maps? Is it time for maps?

That sort of thing generally strikes about a third of the way in.

And some times it’s the big question. Which sometimes doesn’t hit until the foolish writer thought it was all done.

What is this book about?

What really is the story problem . . . and what is just a background matter?

To use the example of the book the Grammar Nazi’s are redlining as we speak . . .

I have an Empire that has just been attacked by an unknown enemy.

I have a Palace Coup that needs to be put down.

I have a cop investigating a runaway teenager, while falling in love with her cousin.

Umm, well . . . since my MC can’t do anything about prepping for a cross-dimensional war it sort of seems to have been forgotten ten percent into the story . . . that seems to indicate that the war is not the story problem.

And putting down the Coup made for a nice bit of derring-do while romancing the cousin of the runaway . . . but the story’s just kind of floppy.

What’s a writer to do? Well, this writer forces most of the dots to connect.

The MC, being a cop, has to wonder if the Palace Coup people used the surprise attack for their power grab . . . or did they create the appearance of an attack to justify their taking power?  That speculation on his part should pull in the attack at the start and make that hang together better. And if the runaway teenager were to take refuge with a powerful person who could be useful in squashing the coup . . . and will, because of a family relationship with someone imprisoned by the Coup leaders . . .  

Too bad I thought of half the connections after I sicced the Grammar experts on the manuscript, but I didn’t add in too much extra . . . although I should consider finishing with a wedding . . . or the realization that the Coup took advantage of the attack, so there really is an Enemy lurking out there . . .

Ah! This is how a Pantser works. And on day like today, I really admire the Plotters who deal with all this stuff before they write it, not after.

Or stopping in the middle to organize it.

Ahem. I frequently do both.

But! Once I stick this tale together, better, and kick it out the door . . .  I’ll, umm, do it again with the next almost finished manuscript. Two books before the year’s end is starting to look doable!

I used to hate editing and rewrites, but I’ve gotten to where I really enjoy pulling the mass of ideas together into a (hopefully) coherent whole. It is very satisfying.

In fact, it feels like winning.

Coming soon: