It was a well-intentioned plan. I had have a manuscript that needs to be edited, I had a month, and now I had a plan. I immediately started the prep work of making an editorial map. It was exciting, and illuminating, work.
I started by printing my manuscript. This was when I realized that even though I have written the end of the story, I have not yet typed it up (that's right, even now at the end of the month, I still have not typed the ending). I like to write by hand and later type my words. I've always liked filling journals and notebooks with handwritten words; I don't think I will ever stop liking it. The ending to my story is still waiting in one of those notebooks. Luckily I know which one.
I was not going to let that one tiny missing part of the story hold me back. I trudged forward and started reading and creating my editorial map.... and immediately realized that this manuscript needs a lot of work, and I mean a lot. I read through the prologue and ten chapters, answering the questions that Janice suggests:
- What is the POV character trying to do in this scene? (the goal)
- Why is she trying to do it? (the motivation for that goal)
- What’s in the way of her doing it? (the conflict)
- What happens if she doesn’t do it? (the stakes)
- What goes wrong (or right)? (how the story moves forward)
- What important plot or story elements are in the scene? (what you need to remember or what affects future scenes)
- from Janice Hardy's How to Create an Editorial Map
and also adding notes about revisions that needed to occur. I quickly realized that the prologue and the first chapter needed to be cut. The book will begin with chapter 2, which needs a lot of work.
And then I stopped.
Not many people knew that I was trying to revise my novel. I had mentioned it on a writing forum; no one else knew. A few weeks into March, someone on the writing forum asked how my editorial map was going. Ummmm.... great, I'll get right back to it. Soon.
I really should get back to revising. What is stopping me? I am sitting here on the last day of my spring break. Spring break. A whole week with nothing to do. And still I did not revise. The plan failed, and I think I know why. There was no accountability. I have a tendency to procrastinate, especially if no one is holding me to a deadline.
So I am making a new-ish plan. You, my blog readers, will hopefully help me with my accountability. I still plan to follow all the steps of Janice Hardy's revision plan, but at a slower pace. I am allowing myself a week for each step. I will post a weekly update on my progress as I slowly revise this manuscript and I will type the ending. Let's see how this new-ish revision plan goes. I am new-ishly excited!! If you are interested in joining me in a slower version of the revision plan, I pinned all of the steps to a Pinterest board (If only I were always this organized).
Have you ever tried Janice Hardy's 31 day plan?
Are you interested in joining me on this journey?
