Question: N:Era and Revisions

"So I'm curious, what chapter had the most rewrites? If I had to guess it'd be COTW because it's the first one."

This was a part of a series of questions about revisions so I'm going to talk briefly about the revision process.

Each N:Era story usually starts as inklings of ideas that I eventually put together. This is what creates the chaotic and disjointed feel of each story that ends up wrapping together in the end despite the disparate elements. In what way does Owlis wanting Ahmond to pay back a loan, Cyras' birthday party, and someone selling Lie Detectors, logically link? In the same way that ghostly disturbances, some depressed otter girls mismanaged anger, and theft on a train link. Just because some pieces are flower pieces, and some are building pieces, doesn't matter when together they create an image of a beautiful cottage by a river stream. 

So usually, I come up with the bigger idea and do lots of pre-writing beforehand, and then I get down to littler details, until eventually I end up writing the actual chapters. I usually don't assign scenes to chapters until later down the line. At some point I realize what scenes go to what chapters. These aren't like episodes of MLP where I can go, "Okay, so this happens here, and this happens there". These are chapters. I have more leniency with how I define what or where as a section of time.

I have to then fix logical holes in the plots, or character issues, or other macroissues, and at that point, then I might start defining chapters. If necessary. 

One thing that does help define a chapter, however, is my structure follows a mix of Kishotenketsu and ten point structure. 

Chapter 1 is always my inciting incidences. The characters aren't actively in the plot yet. 

Chapter 2 usually has the characters entering the plot, and this is the First plot point. 

Chapter 3 is where I introduce a pinch point. An antagonistic force makes their first aggressive attack. Something that makes us go, "Wow." 

Chapter 4 is around the halfway point where I let out a big development until chapter 5. 

Chapter 5 is where I usually have a chapter of "now for something COMPLETELY different". An aspect that seems irrelevant, but later redefines the entirety of before. For example, again, the Purple Lady has Owlis appear for the first time ever and we later find out Cyras is both royalty and divinty. 

Chapter 6 is another pinch point. The antagonist makes a move and now things are heated up. Cyras and co. are going to fight back. 

Chapter 7 is the counterattack. Everything leads up to finale. 

Chapter 8 is the finale. Cyras does whatever shenanigans win her the day, but then there's usually a more emotional resolution to the plots with an odd solution. 

A lot of sections of story can be cut or others remolded long before I get a chance to start defining the chapters as chapters rather than impressions.

So when revising the chapters, we're already pretty far into the process. However, there's plenty of elements to look at for revision. I may, for instance, realize certain scenes need to be clipped, or the chapter may not be resolving or adding anything. 

I have to ask each scene what the goal of this scene is? Ideally, a scene needs to achieve at least three of the following: Develops characters, develops world, develops history, develops world, adds a new element, solves a mystery, brings a mystery, or foreshadows. 

I have to ask if the characters act right? Is this in-character for Cyras? Would she speak like this? Would she have taken another option? I especially like to put my characters in situations that I have no idea how to resolve. I firmly believe that creativity expands with limits. Cyras escapes a wood prison easily with magic, but if the prison cannot be escaped that way, that's a limit that makes me think. Okay, well can she unlock the lock with her claws? Well let's say her claws are clipped. And so on and so forth. 

I have to ask if the prose makes sense? Is this too effusive or is this not effusive enough? Do the words and cadence fit the feeling of the story? 

I also detest open and straightforward story-telling and dialogue. Who could ever listen to someone who says their emotions directly and their thoughts and goals clearly? Spongebob is more passive-aggressive and indirect than these blunt people. 

Then of course, where's the flow? Does this really need to be explained, or would this explanation do better somewhere else? 

Seven revisions are usually the minimum of revisions I make. 

Afterwards comes editing. Editing is usually done by me shifting the font and sizing things up. I look for out-of-place words, wrong POVs, awful metaphors, misplaced commas. Then at some point I shove that into Google Docs and see what Grammarly says, and they go, "Don't type: Cyras was the best of the girls at playing Towers the card game." Instead, "Cyras played Towers TCG best of Team N:Era". 

Personally, I'm beginning to suspect after doing the Grammarly, I should go and take a look myself. They're really great because I can't figure out what a compound or compound-complex sentence is to save the life of me, nor can I understand when to put commas in one or not. 

 

 

 

Oh right, the actual question. 

Ahem, I dunno.