Last week, we talked about starting a story even when you know very little about it LINK Today, I want to look at how we begin to turn that flimsy portion of a tale into a full-blooded novel.

Firstly, though, I want to caution you not to begin this stage until you have completed that first draft, even if it runs no more than a few dozen pages. The function of that first, clumsy draft is to serve as a signpost. While it would be optimistic to imagine that these pages will remain unchanged over the course of your novel building, they should give you a few ideas of how the story will look. By the time you finish that first outline, ideally you should who your main character is, and maybe a few other characters, too; the source of the conflict; some of the obstacles along the way; and how it should end.

I say ideally because, of course, you may know no more than a few of these things. That’s all right. You can still make a start on the second stage: filling in the blanks. So, how do we begin?

One

Once you have finished your outline, never mind that it is the literary equivalent to a piece of Chantilly lace, your next task is to read it through from beginning to end. Now that you have a clearer picture of the story, may notice that there are more bits missing than you had identified with your notes. This is the time to make up a list of all the additional scenes that you need to write. Do this for the whole manuscript. No, it won’t be perfect even after you write all those missing bits, but you’ll be well on your way.

Two

As you put your story together, you may notice that there are some issues with your original concept. It’s good to notice that now. Some of the changes may be fairly simple — you make George Sarah’s brother rather than her boyfriend, for instance. Or you realise the story would work better if told in the third person. Try to resolve these issues now because it will save you a lot of unnecessary re-writing later. As much as you can, aim for a big picture approach. By that I mean if the story doesn’t work as it is, maybe you should consider setting it in a different location. Or perhaps a different time period might be preferable. If it feels top-heavy — I mean all the action is at the beginning, rather than throughout — you might want to play with the timeline. For instance, start it many years after the main event, and then go back and forth between that incident and the novel’s present day. That brings us to step…

Three

Using all your notes and the initial draft, put together a timeline. What happens when? What are the big turning points in the story? Again, you don’t need to have it all figured out, but the more you have clearly in your mind, the easier your subsequent rewrites will be. There are several ways to approach the timeline. I like using a spreadsheet, but you do you. I know of one writer who uses index cards. He writes a summary of each scene on a different card and then shuffles them around. This is particularly helpful if you are going for the fractured narrative* approach. You can, of course, just go with the old pen and paper and write down your various events. Or, if you are visual, follow the example of film directors and use storyboards, that is, use drawings or pictures to represent each scene.

[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." data-large-file="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." width="867" height="1300" src="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." alt="" class="wp-image-18594" style="aspect-ratio:0.6669306178040321;width:323px;height:auto" srcset="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 867w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 100w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 200w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 768w" sizes="(max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px" />Photo by George Milton on Pexels.com

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Once you have a timeline sorted — don’t worry if you have to change it, and change it again — you can plan your approach to filling in the gaps. Even with an altered timeline, the individual scenes will still matter.

Here are some ways you can proceed:

The Diary Approach

If you are something of a control… no, not freak, exactly. Let’s say enthusiast. You may as well go with your strengths and create a schedule of what you are going to work on and when. I’ve read some portions of John Steinbeck’s diaries, and this seems to have been his approach. He knew what he needed to write on any give day, how many words it would take, and how long he expected to work on it. It’s not for everyone, but it’s one option.

Chronological

To take our advice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: start at the beginning. Go on until you come to the end. Then stop.

This is my personal choice. It gives me a good feeling for where the story is going. I don’t plan out any of the details. I know where I want to start and where the the next event should be based on my first draft and my notes, so my writing becomes a series of steps. From the opening to the first crisis. From that to the reaction. Then on to… You get the idea.

Embrace the Chaos

There are a variety of ways of doing this. If you’re nervous about writing a strong ending, for instance, you could start there. Get that all wrapped up and then go on to another scene that either intrigues or worries you. Just pick scenes at random and write them according to your whim.

One of the advantages of this approach is that you can write whatever scenes fit your mood. If you’re angry write about an argument. If you’re sad, then make it a tearful scene. You will, of course, have to keep track on what you have and have not done or you may forget some crucial bits. The biggest downside, of course, is you can’t help thinking of some scenes as boring because they cover exposition or some less exciting scenes. It can be hard to stop that boredom from conveying itself to the reader. So, tread carefully.

All of this serves to help you write a very good and complete draft. No, it won’t be perfect, but it will be something you can be proud of. Of course, this is just the beginning, there is still a lot more to do. But making your way seriously through these steps will build your confidence and help you to feel more like a ‘real’ writer than you ever have before.

*Fractured narrative is telling your story in a non-linear way. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is a great example. You can tell your story from several points of view, some of which may be contradictory to the others, and with a variety of plot lines.

[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." data-large-file="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." width="1880" height="1253" src="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con..." alt="" class="wp-image-18584" srcset="https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 1880w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 150w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 300w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 768w, https://rycardus.wordpress.com/wp-con... 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 1880px) 100vw, 1880px" />Photo by AXP Photography on Pexels.co