{"id":1012,"date":"2015-01-26T14:25:09","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T19:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ellismorning.com\/blog\/?p=1012"},"modified":"2015-01-26T14:27:21","modified_gmt":"2015-01-26T19:27:21","slug":"successfully-rewriting-existing-scenes-when-expanding-an-outline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ellismorning.com\/blog\/2015\/01\/successfully-rewriting-existing-scenes-when-expanding-an-outline\/","title":{"rendered":"Successfully Rewriting Existing Scenes When Expanding An Outline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"palmtrees\"<\/a>We’ll need a bigger, better palm tree!<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n

There are tons of degrees of rewrites: the little tweaks here and there; the nuke-it-from-orbit, scorched-earth policy; and everything in between. The sort of rewrites I’m conducting right now are part of a larger effort to expand the outline of a manuscript, all the way from A to Z. New scenes get inserted, old scenes that no longer fit get removed.<\/p>\n

There are also plenty of previously written scenes that still fit into the outline pretty well- but by the time I’m done with Scenes A through Q and get to Scene R, for instance, so much has changed concerning events in the story, characters, etc. that Scene R as written may no longer make sense or be adequate.<\/p>\n

So, what to do with Scene R?<\/p>\n

There’s a strong temptation to edit Scene R in-place- leave things mostly as they are, and just fluff here and there as needed. However, I think with A through Q being different, it’s better to give R the chance to breathe and be what it needs to be now.<\/p>\n

Here’s how I do that…<\/p>\n

1) I avoid re-reading Scene R.<\/strong> By this point, it’s been a long time since I’ve looked at it (around 5 months), and I’ve forgotten most of what’s there. I don’t want to remind myself, because I might be tempted to keep things that don’t really fit anymore.<\/p>\n

2) I open a different word processor.<\/strong> On my Mac, it’s TextEdit. In Windows, it would be Notepad.<\/p>\n

3) In a fresh new document, away from my manuscript, I outline what I think Scene R should be now.<\/strong> I start by writing down the big events in sequence- then I go and add detail to each event, chaining them together. Sorta like this:<\/p>\n

Characters enter The Place- describe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Character1- reaction<\/em><\/p>\n

Character2- reaction<\/em><\/p>\n

Characters encounter The Thing in The Place<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And so on.<\/p>\n

I have the rewrites of Scenes A-Q fresh in my mind (sort of, LOL). I know who the characters are now, versus who they were pre-expansion. I keep in mind what new events are shaping the outline and affecting the characters. I try to remember what everyone is thinking and feeling, and consider the scene from every point of view<\/a>.<\/p>\n

4) Only after I’m happy with the quasi-outline do I revisit old Scene R. Hopefully, I’m horrified by what I see! New Scene R should<\/em> be better!<\/p>\n

I take a snapshot of old Scene R using Scrivener (creating a backup copy), then go through and see if anything previously written can be salvaged for the new Scene R.<\/strong> Good lines, good dialogue? If so, great- I copy and paste that stuff over.<\/p>\n

5) I delete everything in the old Scene R that no longer fits.<\/strong> New Scene R and the salvaged bits are pasted in its place.<\/p>\n

6) I flesh out the new scene.<\/strong> In a first draft, I’m putting down sentences, not really worrying how good they are, just trying to squeeze out every detail I possibly can. I revisit the prose quality later.<\/p>\n

This is obviously more work than just modifying old Scene R directly, but I think it leads to a better, truer result. Otherwise, there’s too much temptation to twist things to conform to what you previously wrote, even if it makes no sense, simply because that’s what you’ve already written.<\/p>\n

How do you like to handle rewrites? Let me know in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n


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