Monday, April 27, 2015

Save the Scraps: Guest Post by Carrie Charley Brown

Revision ignites my thoughts… Oh, the possibilities!  And with so many directions to turn, why ignore any of them?  As writers, we are quick to dismiss an idea that doesn't sit right. If you are like me, typing most drafts directly into the computer, that little backspace action can permanently erase a perfectly good idea. Fast. But, what if you had kept your nearly dismissed ideas?

Most of us already have a bank for our initial ideas.  We know enough to write them down and stuff them into a special container, folder, or notebook. So, why not do this when revising, as well? It’s easy when we receive a critique back. Even if we aren't initially ready to accept the feedback, we can save it for later when our defense walls have dropped.

When writing first drafts, we all approach them a bit differently. In fact, I don't always do it the same way every time, either. Sometimes, I brainstorm the plot bones first. But mostly, I am a pantser. I just want to get the ideas on the paper and see where it leads me. That’s when I encounter the little angel/devil friends sitting on each shoulder.

Angel:  “Now, now, now…you need to follow the rules.”
Devil:  “Don’t listen to her. You’re going for unique. Live a little.”

Before hitting the delete key, copy and paste that idea and put it in a document dedicated to your manuscript. I use the title of my manuscript followed by the word “brainstorm” or “ideas.” The page looks like a hodgepodge, but at least the ideas are still there. It comes in super handy when revising.

I suppose I’m the same way when critiquing professionallyI like to share all of the ideas that pop into my mind, and the result is a very honest, detailed critique, that takes about two-four hours of my time. I would much rather share things ahead of time with a client. We value those first impression opportunities with agents and editors too much to waste them.

Through it all, you can always turn back to your hodge-podge of deleted phrases, sentences, and ideas. You can also turn to mentor texts and the countless articles that are posted online.  



If you have not yet joined an online writing community of some sort, the support is priceless. My go-to communities are the 12x12 PictureBook Challenge, PiBoIdMo, ReviMo, KidLit 411and my own ReFoReMo . Each community has a Facebook group where writers can ask questions, recommend mentor texts, and share valuable articles found on the Internet.

So, back to that critique we saved for later. Now that the ideas have sat in the back of our minds, we'll be open to experimenting. Don’t be afraid to start a rewrite or let your plot go in a new direction. You’ll never really know if it works unless you try it. You might have 20 different versions that include 3 different points of view, 5 different plots, and varied word lengths. That’s okay. It’s part of getting to know your story and finding the one that clicks. It’s also part of being open to growth and finding your best inner editor. It will take some time. Be patient with the process and enjoy the opportunities that revision places before you.

Carrie Charley Brown is a professional critique mentor with an editorial eye. She is the founder of ReFoReMo, a research challenge for picture book writers. Carrie is a children’s writer and contributor at Writer’s Rumpus and Kids Are Writers. She was a 2014 CYBILS award fiction picture book panelist and was formerly an elementary teacher. You can follow her writing journey at www.carriecharleybrown.com. 








26 comments:

  1. Great post, Carrie! I do keep separate copies of my revisions, but I've not really reworked my manuscripts as creatively as I should. Thanks for the inspiration to really try lots of new things with a manuscript!

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  2. Great post, Carrie! I do keep separate copies of my revisions, but I've not really reworked my manuscripts as creatively as I should. Thanks for the inspiration to really try lots of new things with a manuscript!

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  3. You are welcome, Kristi! Happy revisions!

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  4. Carrie, thank you for the insightful post and ideas for hanging on to those ideas. I need to use new ideas and a fresh approach.

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    1. You are welcome, Charlotte! Thanks for visiting the GROG...I hope your revisions are productive and inspired!

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  5. Carrie, I do this, but i am going to take the scraps an delay more intentionally with them. Great ideas!

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  6. My goodness Carrie, your posts are popping up everywhere! When do you have time to write? :)

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    1. Ha, Manju! Part of writing is sharing. :) It just takes a little planning... well, sometimes a lot. :)

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  7. Great advice Carrie. When I think of all the ideas I've lost when revising I could kick myself. But no more - now I keep every draft and every scrap of paper.

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    1. Go get 'em! You just never know what you might want to see again. Thanks for reading.

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  8. Carrie, thanks for the inspiring post! I have a little filing cabinet dedicated to keeping my various drafts...now I may take a look at them more often :)

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    1. Sounds very organized, Kirsti! Sometimes I have three versions open on the computer at once... especially when something doesn't feel quite right. :)

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  9. I've kept every draft and every version, but I LOVE the idea of having a messy brainstorm file for every manuscript. For those times when something pops in your head but you're not sure if/how to use it! I'm going to start one today!!!!

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  10. Thanks, Carrie. I save each draft of my manuscript revisions in a folder in my computer so I don't lose any words or ideas.

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    1. Yep, Tina! I do that, too. But, sometimes when I revisit the current draft, I make a quick move, backspace something out, and accidentally save it as the same draft. Then it is gone forever. I've retrained myself to cut and paste it in a garbage document, just in case. :)

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  11. I love this advice. I'm trying to decide if Scrivener would be a good option for fiction PBs. I've decided I should use it for Nonfiction because of all the footnoting and source notes benefits, but I'm still on the fence for fiction. Have you tried it for fiction?

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    1. I have not gone to Scrivener, Jilanne. I have heard many praises, but right now I am investing my time and money elsewhere. Best wishes on both your fiction and nonfiction work!

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  12. Thanks for the post, Carrie. I try to save my drafts as I go, but sometimes it gets pretty crowded in those folders! I've found that my endings often need experimentation, but it's worth the effort to find one that really pops.

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    1. You are welcome, Patricia. Sometimes, when working withing a draft, and changing a sentence here or there, I might write a brand new sentence and then decide that is not the right one either. Those are the little bits and pieces that I save in a document...the ones that don't make it to the end product of a new draft. Hope that helps! Happy revisions!

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  13. Great idea, Carrie! I'll using a new folder dedicated to story scraps and ideas. Thanks!

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    1. You are welcome. You never know when you might need a scrap that you almost passed on. :)

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  14. Thank you, Carrie! You are so full of great ideas :) I have kept my various 1,001 versions of each story on paper, but never thought to make a garbage file for words/lines/phrases I loved for each file. It HAS to be far easier to check out that document than flipping through all those printed versions. What a wonderful help you are! :)

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    1. You are welcome, Rene. I find all too often, when revising, that I backspace to erase a sentence when a better one comes to me. But then, it's gone forever. I've gone back looking for "the one that got away" and it's not there. That's when I started trying to catch myself before backspacing out an idea. :) Best wishes in your revisions.

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    2. Great info, as usual Carrie! I usually keep a 'work page' when I am making revisions so all of my thoughts aren't lost because I don't know exactly where I want to put them in the revision document. Why or why do my most creative ideas and words come to me at 3a in the morning?

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  15. A combination of a panster and a plotter is how I tend to identify my writing. Thank you, Carrie, for affirming that I am doing the write thing, [OoPs! the right thing] as I save all documents and revisions.
    ~Suzy Leopold

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