tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post2619705158371883766..comments2023-08-27T04:22:55.468-07:00Comments on The Literary Lab: Rearranging and Shuffling ScenesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-33818237331421787162011-04-18T14:54:33.587-07:002011-04-18T14:54:33.587-07:00I always leave whatever I cut at the bottom of the...I always leave whatever I cut at the bottom of the chapter until I am absolutely sure I don't want to use it. Then, and only then, will I put it into a scrap file. I never delete anything because I found out the hard way I may need it again.<br /><br />I have shuffled scenes for impact. I had a petite mystery in one scene that I deliberately moved further into the book to allow the reader to guess what happened before I told them.Anne Gallagherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05816355522284492131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-52134356787808518372011-04-18T14:09:11.543-07:002011-04-18T14:09:11.543-07:00Scott and Scott, thanks. I've tried the separa...Scott and Scott, thanks. I've tried the separate document before and find that I hardly ever get back to it. But, I do think there's value in writing for the first time, deleting it, and then writing it again. The second approach is often better for me.<br /><br />Michelle, that's a good point. As I'm taking a journalism class right now, I'm learning a lot about how the drama of the story can change even though the facts of the story don't. A writer can make a story more powerful just by reorganizing the order in which we provide information.<br /><br />Donna, as you describe that thought process, it is indeed very similar to how my mind works. I kind of creep along and write things before I know what I'm actually writing. Then, I look back on it, reflect, and try to bring out the material that somehow came out on the page. I guess it is analytical. I'm better at looking backwards and analyzing it rather than being able to look forwards and plan ahead. I also have no earthquake preparedness kit in my home. Go figure.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-6126712460504114132011-04-18T12:55:36.502-07:002011-04-18T12:55:36.502-07:00Sorry, that first comment needed editing and rearr...Sorry, that first comment needed editing and rearranging :)<br /><br />I noticed in my own writing I write scenes sort of backwards. There is the outcome, then some sort of flashback with all the relevant info, and back to the outcome to transition to the next scene.<br /><br />So I do a lot of rearranging. It can be time consuming. What I've learned in this process however, is that I think of scenes differently while I'm writing them as opposed to revising. While writing it, there is an order to my thoughts to get everything down. During revision, I already know the "what", now I'm adding the sequence, and emotional investment.<br /><br />Maybe it works somewhat the same for you, Domey. I need the facts first to get organized, and the meaning comes clearer with distance from the event.<br /><br />As with real life, you know "what" happened in an event, and can speculate some about reasons/motivations, but the event has to be investigated so logical conclusions can be drawn. <br /><br />You seem to have an analytical mind Domey, and probably have to work through the experiment (scene) before drawing concrete conclusions (motivations/emotions and transition into the next scene).<br /><br />Just a thought about processes. It took me a long time to figure out my writing style, and to be comfortable that it isn't always like everyone else's.<br /><br />.......dholedolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-51365123044187425502011-04-18T12:51:26.486-07:002011-04-18T12:51:26.486-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.dolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-79382318235551942352011-04-18T12:30:28.609-07:002011-04-18T12:30:28.609-07:00I did this a lot with Breakaway's first chapte...I did this a lot with Breakaway's first chapter. I finally got it right, thank heavens. I think I've rearranged the beginning of that book about 800 times. No joke.<br /><br />Monarch was a huge shuffle for me, too, especially with all the flashback jungle stuff and where to put it.<br /><br />I think this is really important to get right in novels. It's what makes storytelling STORYtelling for me - rather than just writing down a sequence of events with some tension. <br /><br /><b>Scott B.:</b> About outlines - I keep mine so loose that the entire story could change depending on how I write the scenes. That's the only way for me to outline.Michelle D. Argylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696465137285587646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-64869846678006726342011-04-18T11:58:13.748-07:002011-04-18T11:58:13.748-07:00Domey - I always create a new document titled: omi...Domey - I always create a new document titled: omitted sections. This document usually contains things that I totally cut and never use as well. Then again, some scenes can be used in different projects, so . . .Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06905515473737579937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-51876638709139514592011-04-18T11:24:07.999-07:002011-04-18T11:24:07.999-07:00I do all my revisions on paper, so that's wher...I do all my revisions on paper, so that's where I keep my discarded stuff: in the old printout. Mostly, when something is cut it's gone forever. Almost every time I've tried to reuse material I have to rewrite it so much that it's easier to start from scratch.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-54176729697089077242011-04-18T10:13:25.232-07:002011-04-18T10:13:25.232-07:00Scott M. (and anyone else who cares to chime in), ...Scott M. (and anyone else who cares to chime in), I'm curious, where do you leave those bits that still haven't found a home? Are then in the same document as the rest of your story? I try to do that, but then I get annoyed about having it hiding in the back, so I eventually end up deleting them or moving them to a new document that I forget about.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-10955851471131012822011-04-18T10:05:20.953-07:002011-04-18T10:05:20.953-07:00I'm like the other Scott - I sometimes write p...I'm like the other Scott - I sometimes write passages that I have no idea where they're going to go within the scope of the narrative. Then, as I reach a point, I'll remember scene/passage and realize "here's the perfect place". I'll also cut scenes during the revision process, only to use them at a later point.<br /><br />Writing is dynamic like that. It is not written in stone. It is changeable. A scene might fit perfectly in one place in the rough draft, but not so much in a second or third draft. Highlight the section, Ctrl X, open new document, Ctrl P . . . and voila, a scene set adrift to hopefully find a home on some other page.<br /><br />SScotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06905515473737579937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-54964264746879749272011-04-18T10:00:25.110-07:002011-04-18T10:00:25.110-07:00Yeah, Scott, I think you've figured out a bett...Yeah, Scott, I think you've figured out a better way to make an outline work. When I start, I do just try to get it done and "right." I know I shouldn't. At any rate, now I'm not even really doing first drafts anymore. I write a little and revise a lot and slowly creep forward that way. It's quite a change, but I've been liking the results.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-34778301424493430652011-04-18T09:56:49.013-07:002011-04-18T09:56:49.013-07:00"maybe because I started to become more formu..."maybe because I started to become more formulaic to make the cards fit together"<br /><br />That's one of the real dangers of outlining, I think. There's a tendency to sort of try to imitate the familiar, to experiment less. I think that's because outlining can too often seem like a <i>task</i> to be finished as soon as possible in order to get to the actual writing, rather than as a creative act. I try hard these days to make my outlines more a bunch of doors leading to impossible places than a line of boxes holding events all in a row. If you know what I mean.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-70501607435075473132011-04-18T09:50:33.874-07:002011-04-18T09:50:33.874-07:00S.M., I tried the cue card approach with my first ...S.M., I tried the cue card approach with my first novel. Somehow it didn't work for me. I killed the momentum for me somehow, maybe because I started to become more formulaic to make the cards fit together. I'm not sure.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-5671624069084262462011-04-18T09:49:04.682-07:002011-04-18T09:49:04.682-07:00Scott, I don't know--that image seems quite ar...Scott, I don't know--that image seems quite arresting to me. The bridge and the movement over it is very clear, and I like that it holds all of the attention. It's lovely. And, it does feel like it's setting me up for something exciting to happen. I like the first sentence and the simple description of the long bridge. Thanks for the example!Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-10369782540386959492011-04-18T09:42:14.001-07:002011-04-18T09:42:14.001-07:00I have done it, and it is very time consuming, but...I have done it, and it is very time consuming, but the results are usually worth it. I think next time around I'll have cue cards with the basic scenes, and corresponding data (page no.s etc) on them... they're easier to shuffle that way!S.M. Carrièrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08568011755497760300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-5918069341932436532011-04-18T09:26:51.899-07:002011-04-18T09:26:51.899-07:00The rhythm and movement of the story and themes ar...The rhythm and movement of the story and themes are really important to me, so I move stuff around a lot when I'm revising. Even when I'm drafting, I'll write passages that I know don't belong where I've put them, but I figure I'll find the right places for them later.<br /><br />This sort of gets to a conversation Mighty Reader and I had a few weeks ago. I was saying that, in a lot of ways, story telling is the process of giving information to the reader, one bit at a time, and you have to decide which bits to give first, and each bit is understood relative to every bit you've given already.<br /><br />This weekend I was typing up my first draft of the WIP and a couple of pages in, I came across a paragraph that seemed to have a lot of movement and forward-pointing language, and I cut it from its orginal spot and now it's the opening paragraph of the novel:<br /><br /><i>They’d arrived, as had most of the other guests, only the day before. That had been Sunday, early in the afternoon. James had driven down the coastal road, the Austin’s top down under a clear sky that turned dark almost the moment Julia had spotted the long wooden bridge stretching across the channel. In the time it took to motor over the bridge and up the drive to the hotel, the sky had filled with storm and rain. Julia thought it quite like something from a Brontë novel. A bad omen for somebody. Not for Julia, though. She was here on this picturesque island to spend a week privately celebrating. It had best not storm every night, else Julia would certainly be put out of sorts.</i><br /><br />It's not the sort of arresting image I'd normally choose for a first paragraph, but it seems to work for this book. We'll see. Lots of shuffling to come, I'm sure.scott g.f.baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05726743149139510832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-87246425674189464482011-04-18T07:31:22.453-07:002011-04-18T07:31:22.453-07:00Jessica, That can indeed be frustrating. I remembe...Jessica, That can indeed be frustrating. I remember being stuck on a first chapter for a very long time. Even though I would write later scenes, I felt pinned down at the beginning because I knew it wasn't working. Good luck! I hope you figure it out!Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2092805684169371138.post-28098931596497559762011-04-18T06:53:52.522-07:002011-04-18T06:53:52.522-07:00This is a huge issue for me right now, I am trying...This is a huge issue for me right now, I am trying to rearrange and shuffle certain scenes, but then find I have to read further and change something else. For me at least it's the only way for the story to make sense... Most of the issues I am facing however invlove the first three chapters. It's frustrating becuase it's a wip and I really want to move on but seem so stuck.Jessica A. Brioneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371485033628888782noreply@blogger.com