nichepoetryandprose

Today, I finished the rough draft of my new book in the Meniscus Series. This book will deal with discovery of a secret that will bring down the nasty Dock-winders.

The working title of the book is Meniscus: Resistance.

Before you become amazed at my productivity, remember that my Meniscus stories are in narrative poetry and are a quick read. At this early stage, this book has 11,600 words.

~

The next step in my process is tedious, but very helpful.

~

I create a Table of Chapters. Each ‘Chapter’ in the table is described by ‘What happens,’ ‘Setting.’ ‘Point of view,’ ‘Characters,’ and ‘Theme Progress.’ I can work through my entire document:

• change all the place holders to actual Chapter numbers;
• make certain the setting is described in detail;
• ensure point of view in each chapter is clear and does not waver;
• list the characters in the chapter and ensure everyone has a role to play; and,
• check on progress made towards resolution of the story.

Table of Chapters for Meniscus: of Resistance

~

If the story is missing an ending, or has continuity issues, this building of the table helps me to focus on the story progress and, by the time the table is completed, the story is more complete.

~

Once these tasks have been done, the Table of Chapters can be set aside and used later for any stage of the revision process. For example, I can check each chapter for phases of the moon, so the full moon doesn’t occur two days before the crescent moon! I also use the table to make certain the illustrations are evenly distributed throughout the text.

~

~

Off I go, to fill out the Table of Chapters and to find an ending for my book.

~

All my best!

Stay safe.

Jane