Revising a manuscript can be TOUGH.
I knew it wasn’t easy, but when my manuscript, TTYL, got selected for Author Mentor Match in January 2022, I wasn’t sure how difficult it could be. I buckled up for intense character development and plot outlines, and when my mentor pointed out some plot holes I thought, “Sure, no problem, I can fix that easy-peasy.”
It was not easy-peasy.
I kept trying to fill the plot holes with water. Then ice. Then sand. But it needed to be filled with asphalt (okay, weird analogy).
So, my mentor and I brainstormed. She had solid solutions, ones that would give my characters more depth and make the story make more sense. While some suggestions resonated with me, others didn’t.
Why?
This was an emotional process for me, and I wasn’t entirely sure why. I knew I didn’t want to take my story in a direction I didn’t want it to go, and of course my mentor didn’t want that either, but it was frustrating to find the perfect solution. I needed a solution that told the story I wanted to tell, along with filling those pesky plot holes with asphalt. And that’s when I noticed my main problem: I didn’t know exactly what I wanted the heart of my story to be.
I know. It should be obvious, right?
I knew I wanted it to be fun and nostalgic.
I wanted it to have strong sister bonds.
I wanted my main character to have a big character arc with internal growth.
But… what was the best plot to get it there? What could emphasize those beats? What would my main character have to go through to push past her false belief and come out a better person?
The plot isn’t just a series of events that happen, it makes the main character change. So to have a plot that accomplished that, along with it being a story that resonated with me, was a tough puzzle to figure out.
So, I sat down and thought, “What do I want the reader to feel when they finish this story?” Sad? Thrilled? Happy? Relief?
This took a full month for me to figure out, but I didn’t want to move on until I knew the heart of my story and the main point I wanted it to get across.
I finally landed on this: I want my manuscript, TTYL, to be a representation of grief. Not only of a person, but their own life never lived. Grieving a life that never happened, whether that be from a goal that never can to fruition, or a life with a loved one that pass away, is a tough pill to swallow. It can hold us back, even if we don’t realize it.
Once I established that, I knew the journey my main character needed to go on. Things fell into place. I had a foundation for my plot and characters to stand on, and I was ready to move on to filling those pesky holes.
