NaNoWriMo Prep: Training for the Marathon, Part 2

I read a really great blog post by Holly Lisle (you have to subscribe to her newsletter) on how to avoid months and months of revisions and edits after you write the book. Well, I’m all over that! See www.hollylisle.com and read her post on one-pass editing and revision.

Holly’s point is that, in part, doing some serious upfront prep will speed up the revision process. She claims that she edits 125K in two weeks and that she has never had to do more than two light edits for an editor. Okay! Sign me up!

One of the things to do upfront is called “Discovery”. Discovery includes identifying the theme, subtheme(s), one-line story arc of MC, writing a 25-word book summary, creating a back-of-book story blurb, and writing MC descriptions. 

In the last post, I did two of the six. This post will be the remaining four. 

Theme for The Quick and the Dedd: Love can cross any barrier.
Interestingly, for a recent submission for another manuscript, I was asked to identify tropes or themes. First time that’s happened, but I can see how an editor, marketing director, cover art designer, etc. would find that a critical piece. Plus, if the author doesn’t know, who would?

Subtheme(s): Is there existence beyond the grave? What forms can love take?
This was soooo hard. Are these my sub-themes? I know I need to know before I settle in writing this story if it is going to keep its focus. Maybe as I consider my story in these few remaining days, I will adjust these. I’m letting them stand now and see if they stand up to the further development I’ll be doing.

Story arc of Isabella: Everyone else’s needs come before Isabella’s so she decides to cede the position of caretaker to focus on her own needs but then she realizes she can do both, or at least try.
To do this piece, I looked in The Virgin’s Promise by Kim Hudson (book review coming). Hudson identifies 12 core feminine archetypes (she says they are not meant to be only female) for early, middle, and beginning life stages. I see Isabella as Mother/Goddess taking care of others and not realizing her own need for fulfillment. Her story arc is the reconciliation of care giver and taking care of her own needs.

Book Summary:  Isabella Quick is surprised when Riley Dedd, the ghost of her best operative, materializes to help her solve his murder and save her business.

I am confident that knowing what my book is about at center, I will be able to complete it in the 30 days I have for NaNoWriMo. Stay tuned. In the next post, I am going to reveal some of the plot points and the chart I am using to track them. 

13 days and counting.