by Lynette M. Burrows
Before you can improve your writing, you have to know where your story is strong and where you can strengthen it. That means understanding story structure and taking your book apart bit by bit, examining it, strengthening it, and reassembling it. It’s not fast, easy, or a guarantee of a bestseller. It is a thorough examination that will teach you a lot about your story and your writing process.
If you missed last month’s post on preparation, read Part One now. Got your manuscript and your reader’s review ready?
Boil the Story Down to its Essential Parts
There are as many ways to write a story as there are writers (and that’s a lot!). Snowflake method, Save the Cat, Seven-Act, Five-Act are all different ways to construct and interpret your story, but they all use the same basic parts.
So when we look at the story to see if it works, or it needs to be strengthened, the only universal way to examine the story is scene-by-scene checking for the progression of plot, the character arc, and story theme(s).
We start with the story sentence.
Refine Your Story Sentence
For those of you unfamiliar with the story sentence, read One Plotting Tool for All. You’ll need a story sentence to be your guide during the rest of the editing process, so take as much time as you need to create a workable one. (Note: I did not say perfect. It won’t be.)
If you wrote a story sentence before you began your current draft, good for you. Look at that sentence, then at the “reader’s review” you wrote last month. Does the story sentence still reflect the story you wrote? No worries if it doesn’t. If it does, fantastic. You’ll likely have less difficulty editing.
Why do all this now? Consider it your train ticket. You want to take a trip to a specific location so you buy a ticket to that location. Your ticket tells you that is where you are going, but it isn’t a map. It doesn’t give you the specific routes you’ll take; it identifies where you start and the final destination.
For the next step, you’ll need either index cards (paper or virtual) or, if you prefer, a spreadsheet. If you like visual cues, colored pens and or highlighters and a black marker can be useful as well.
What is a Scene?
Before you can analyze a scene, you need to have a definition of what a scene is.
According to Robert McKee in his excellent book, Story, “A scene is an action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a character’s life on at least one value with a perceptible significance.” Whew, that’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Can you analyze your story based on that? If you’ve read his entire book and understand what his terms are, you can. But to me, it’s a little high concept.
Let’s try another definition. According to Donald Mass in Writing the Breakout Novel, “A well-constructed scene has a mini-arc of its own: a beginning, rise and climax or reversal at the end.” That’s pretty good as far as the structure of a scene. But how do you put that together or take it apart?
The above definitions are all well and good, but Dwight V. Swain supplied my favorite definition of a scene in Techniques of the Selling Writer. His definition is, “A scene is a unit of conflict, of struggle, lived through by character and reader. It’s a blow-by-blow of somebody’s time-unified effort to attain an immediate goal despite face-to-face opposition.” I would only add that a scene ends with a change–the character attains his goal (or not) or gains information which propels him into the next scene. In other words, a scene consists of a viewpoint character attempting to achieve an immediate goal in direct opposition to someone or something, and that effort results in a change. Now that’s a definition I can sink my teeth into.
Analyze Your Scenes
Finally, it’s time to analyze your scenes.
You will make an entry for each scene on a separate card (spreadsheet users, design your spreadsheet accordingly.)
For every scene in your book, identify:
- Who is the point of view (POV) character? Whose head are we in?
- The protagonist’s story goal
- The viewpoint character’s immediate goal
- Who or what opposes that goal?
- What is the Opposition’s goal?
- Who else is present?
- The setting (where the scene takes place).
- The time elapsed since the reader last saw this POV character.
- The time this scene takes place. This might be simple, like a season or a day of the week or a nonspecific time of day (morning, evening etc.). It can be as specific as including the month-day-and-year, day of the week, and time of day.
- The weather.
- Duration. Your best estimate for how long it takes for this scene to play out.
- The mood or feeling at the beginning of the scene.
- The mood or feeling at the end of the scene.
- Action. The action(s) the POV character took. (Entered the antagonist’s lair, searched for the letter, made a date with the love interest, avoided the love interest, etc.)
- Scene Result. Did the character accomplish her goal? Gain information?
- Is she closer or farther from the story goal?
- What did the character decide to do next?
Your card or spreadsheet will look something like this:
Depending on your genre and specific story, you may want to include a list of character’s clothing, story clues, misdirections, motifs, symbols, or other things you need to track for continuity.
Again, fix nothing. Don’t write on your manuscript. You are only looking for what parts are present at this point.
It’s a slow, sometimes painful process. But trust me, it will identify weakness and strengths. It will inspire your muse to strengthen your story. If ideas on how to fix your story come to you, make notes and file them for later use.
When you finish making an entry for each scene in your story, it’s time to use those cards to make some lists.
Lists of Characters
I prefer to do this part on the computer so I can have the program sort the names alphabetically. Do what works best for you.
I try to make my list of character names as I write my novels. But after the draft is complete, I go through my scene cards to double check. Inevitably, I have missed at least a character or two.
You’ll need a list of every character by name. To this list, add any character you have given a name and appears in your story.
For each character, create a catalog of that character’s details.
- name
- age
- gender
- Physical Appearance
- Traits (kind, selfish, sarcastic, etc.)
- Speech patterns (phrases particular to this one character)
- Relationship to protagonist and/or antagonist
- If this character is a major character, also list her wants, needs, wounds or flaws
- Story role (protagonist, antagonist, mentor, spear carrier, etc.)
- Life role (parents, friends, co-worker, mayor, librarian, etc.)
- Total number of scenes this character appears in as well as a list of those scenes by number.
Modify this list specific to your genre and story needs. When you’ve finished, set it aside for now and start the next list.
List of Settings
Now you’ll list every setting you use in the story. If everything takes place in a single house, then your settings will be each room in which a scene takes place.
For each setting, include things like
- The physical environment. (Landscape, weather, architecture, altitude, furniture types & placement, colors, patterns, etc.)
- Story function. (Foreshadowing, reinforcing story stakes, hints of the past, etc.)
- Social context (culture, class, technology, religious meanings, etc.)
- Sensory details. (Sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.)
- Significance of this location. Is it the home of the POV character or the antagonist? A place of work? Neutral ground? The crime scene?
- Cardinal directions (you may not use these in your story, but you can help keep your reader oriented if you know them.)
- Atmosphere. What general feeling does this location create? (Mystery, tension, cozy, etc.)
- Obvious threats or dangers
- Hidden threats or dangers.
- Total number of scenes that take place in this location.
Add or eliminate details as they relate to your story. When you finish, set this list aside as well.
List of Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
First, let’s be clear on what each of these narrative devices is.
A theme is an idea or subject you, the author, want to explore.
A symbol is often a concrete object but can be a person, place, sound, situation, action, or phrase appears once and has an impact at that specific time in the story. These have many functions. They can tell us more about the character, the place, the past, or the situation.
A motif is a symbol (a thing, place, sound, situation, action, or phrase) that repeats (naturally) within the text. The most effective motifs relate to your theme.
Ideally, you’ll have 2-3, maybe 4 related themes. If you’re trying to do more than four, consider sharpening your focus.
A more poetic or visual style of writing may have many symbols within the story.
Motifs need to be handled more judiciously. Too many can spoil the impact of the strongest ones.
With all this in mind, list your themes, symbols, and motifs that are currently present in the draft of your novel. Then set this aside.
Next Steps
You’ve identified the major parts of your story. I’ll bet you found one or two surprises in your lists and cards so far. Maybe it was something you thought you wrote, or maybe it’s something you barely sketched out. Those are good things to know. Now it’s time to analyze.
Analyzing Your Plot
Label Your Scene Cards
Take out your scene cards and follow the plot. In a colored pen or highlighter, label the scenes that are the turning points of your story. If you need a refresher on plot points, read A Powerful Plot Point is a Strategy for a Successful Story or 7 Plot Structures for Pantsers. In another color of pen or marker, label the scenes where your antagonist or opposing force makes a strong appearance (sometimes called a pinch point.)
If you have a large open space that can hold all your scene cards at once, use it. If not, use the space you have and put out cards in sections. Look at the action.
Is there opposition in every scene? Yes. I said every scene. It doesn’t have to be major opposition or even opposition from the primary antagonist. However, the opposition must impede the protagonist’s way to her goal either by a minor diversion, a partial obstruction of her path, or an outright block of the path she’s on at the moment. If a scene presents that has no opposition, mark that card with a bold black ø (the null sign).
Analyze the Action
Mark any card where the only action is to get the characters from point A to point B as TRAVEL in big black letters.
Look at the pattern of the actions of each scene. Is it like stair steps building higher and higher tension? Do the stakes get higher and more costly with each scene? Do the consequences of the POV’s actions get worse and worse for her? Does the action make sense? Are there missing steps? Are there setbacks? Does one character win all the time or lose all the time? Or is it more like a see-saw?
Does your protagonist have a reaction and decision after every scene? This is often called the scene’s sequel. Sometimes the reaction can be a simple gesture and decision. Other times, the obstacle or event calls for a more detailed reaction.
Finally, do your story sentence and the plot you’ve got match up? If they don’t, think about which story you really want to tell. Revise your story sentence if you need to. You’ll be coming back to it again later.
Got ideas on how to fix any issues you find? Make notes on the back sides of your scene cards.
More on Revising Your Novel Next Month
If you’re experiencing the same feelings of overwhelm and despair I did on my first attempt, take a deep breath. Don’t give up yet. Don’t decide yet if the work you’d have to do to fix this story is a higher price than you want to pay. For now, keep reminding yourself it’s all fixable. The words and ideas had to get down on paper before you could get this far.
Next month we’ll analyze your characters and settings. Once that’s finished, most of you will move on to the “fixing” phase. I’ll also share how I’ve modified this process over time to make me a more efficient and better writer.
Some of you will decide not to go forward with your project. Others of you may have a more complex novel that requires another level or two of analysis. All of you will have learned more about your writing and putting together a stronger story based on what you learn about yourself in these steps.
If you're comfortable with sharing, tell us what problems you have discovered in your plot. Or tell us what your process is for evaluating your novel.
About Lynette
Lynette M. Burrows is an author, blogger, creativity advocate, and Yorkie wrangler. She survived moving seventeen times between kindergarten and her high school graduation. Her stories weave her experiences into speculative fiction stories that balance character growth with thrilling action and social themes.
Her Fellowship Dystopia series is an alternate history dystopian tale of a young woman of privilege who faces losing control of her life. Her desperation to avoid her fate turns into a determination to fight tyranny. Even if she must fight her own family. Even if she dies at the hands of the Angels of Death. Book One,My Soul to Keep, and Book Two, If I Should Die, are available at your favorite online book seller. Book Three, And When I Wake, will be published in 2025.
When Lynette’s not writing she avoids housework and plays with her two yorkies. They live in Dorothy’s home state of Kansas. You can follow Lynette on her website or her Facebook page. But you’ll always be up-to-date if you sign up for her newsletter.
Photos by Lynette M. Burrows
Final image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
