Posts Tagged ‘aha moment’
This blog post is to encourage my clients and all the writers who are on their umpteenth rewrites.
When you’re writing a novel, a memoir, or any lengthy story, keeping track of the elements (plotlines, character arcs, archetypes, themes, hooks, foreshadows, metaphors, dialogue, front story, back story, internal monologue, exposition, irony) becomes a monumental task.
My analogy: The elements in your story make up the pieces of a ten-thousand-piece puzzle. Revising a piece of the puzzle could mean adjusting all the other pieces, especially when you’ve been rewriting and rewriting. Has your overall puzzle become a fuzzy picture?
Here’s my advice: Work in sections. Start with the first quarter of your story. Print your pages and read them out loud, chapter by chapter. As you read, take notes; use color coding to track each element. Example: you might use yellow highlight to track your “hooks.” Whatever method you choose to track, ask yourself these questions: What’s my intent to introduce this hook? Am I going to keep the reader engaged by re-baiting this hook in successive chapters? At what point will I satisfy the reader by releasing the hook (delivering the “aha” moment)?
Happy rewriting and tracking!
I salute you!
Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan
author / manuscript consultant / writing career coach
author of Love Made of Heart (the story that inspires adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and to gain resources for their families)
author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW