Picking Up A Story Thread

Once upon a time (two years ago), I wrote the first half of the second book in my series. When I received edits on the first book, I put down the story thread for the half-finished book two and put all my energy into ignoring book one.

But, with Book One “done” and with the editor, it was time to turn my attention back to Book Two. I title book Two in my Elemental Artist Series Graphite and Turbulence. And you know what it’s about? Yeah, me neither.

Where did I leave my Story Thread?

In order to pick up the story thread, I had to read the book. Doing so was an eye-opening experience, but mostly in a good way. Yes, the draft is clunky. Two of the chapters literally repeat themselves in the chapter. However, the characters are still breathing and struggling toward their goals.

The story made me laugh, and my heart literally skipped a beat when I got to the end of my writing and realized I’d written more scenes which weren’t on the page! After a frantic search for the “right” file, I realized I hadn’t checked all the chapters in Scrivener when I compiled the document. After reading the second installment of the book, I was ready to write.

But I wasn’t.

Get Ready to Write

I’ve found that the transition from drafting to editing, or editing to drafting, is one of the hardest parts of writing for me. The drafting brain is creative, and I allow myself to get swept up by the story, not caring what anyone else will think about it. The editing brain is analytical and merciless, looking for words to cut, scenes that don’t drive the plot forward, and thinking about reader expectations.

When reading the draft, I had to swat at editing Jami and tell her to let me read for fun. Once I finished reading, I poked drafting Jami and asked her to engage with the characters again.

“You fail only if you stop writing.” — Ray Bradbury

Give Yourself Story Thread Clues

Luckily, part of my process as a reformed (reforming?) pantser is creating a storyboard-style outline. The outline provided signposts to follow once drafting Jami was ready to play.

The rusty drafting wheels in my brain creaked as they turned. I’ve since lubricated the gears with coffee and we are now spinning at speed.  Last night, I hit the three quarter mark of the story.

So what’s next? Great question. Because I know that the transition is painful, I’m tempted to draft Book Three and Book Four immediately after finishing Graphite and Turbulence, but the idea of working through edits of three novels is pretty daunting. Still, I’m happy with my progress and looking forward to finishing this book.

How do you write? Do you draft an entire series before you edit your books?

Header Photo by Nong Vang on Unsplash