Karen Collum">Australian Children's Author

I thought I’d better wrap up my posts on the Year of the Edit masterclass I’ve been attending since March. Most of you know how incredibly beneficial I’ve found the workshops and the final session was no exception. My writing tutor, Kim Wilkins (pictured) is the most amazing writer and a beautiful person to boot. She also is one of the most talented teachers I’ve ever had the privilege of learning from.

The final class dealt with one of Kim’s favourite topics, Narrative Structure. Like most things related to writing and good books, I had an intuitive understanding of the concept but had never really thought it through. Kim discussed the importance of a well-proportioned novel where the beginning, middle and end have a certain rhythm that readers like and expect. She even gave a percentage figure for how my novel should ideally be divided (beginning/middle/end). And of course, there are important transition points that move the reader quite clearly from the beginning to the middle, then from the middle to the end. These are ‘gear shifts’ where the tension increases, something significant happens and the reader thinks, ‘Oh boy! Here we go.’ I was delighted to find that I instantly knew where my transition points were. This was a great sign that I did in fact HAVE transition points :)

Then Kim led us through an in-depth study of the function of each of the three parts of a novel. This was fascinating as I’d never really stopped to think what these separate sections do, as such. That’s when she gave us the Top Secret Never to Be Shared Checklist which helped me identify what function the beginning/middle/end should be fulfilling and whether that was happening in my novel. Again, Kim stretched me intellectually as I struggled with the abstract concepts and yet the concrete examples she gave made everything perfectly clear. I was then able to go home and apply my new knowledge to my own novel with pleasing results. Scene by scene I was able to evaluate my novel and make some hard decisions about what had to go. If it’s not serving the function it should, it shouldn’t be there.

My novel was planned using the Snowflake Method which is quite a structured approach to writing and something that the logical/scientific part of me embraced. I’m a rules and regulations kind of gal so a step-by-step process through which to write a novel suited me beautifully. The unexpected reward for following such a process was that my novel was not only already beautifully proportioned, but my transition points were glaringly obvious. I also discovered I have a three-act middle, which is once again a direct result of the planning process using the Snowflake Method.

Kim is a huge fan of planning a novel before/as you write and I can certainly attest to the success of doing just that. I know some amazing writers (like Trudy J Morgan-Cole) who don’t plan at all; their characters unveil the story to them as they write, but for me that doesn’t work. I started six or seven novels prior to this one and this was the first novel I ever finished. I was able to finish because I planned thoroughly. I knew where I was going, I knew what I needed to write and slowly, slowly I wrote my way to THE END.

I was sad to finish my Year of the Edit but so thankful that I’d had the opportunity to learn from such an amazing author/teacher in such a supportive environment. The most incredible thing of all is that I now have confidence in my ability to edit. I have no doubt that I have the skills and knowledge to successfully transform a first draft with potential, into a sparkling, shiny manuscript that might, just might, sell. And I’ve also discovered the secret:

Writing is just plain hard work with a splash of awesome.

Unless you’re prepared to stick your little behind in a chair and slog it out, day after day, you’re just not gonna get there. And I’ve also discovered why writing is such a perfect fit for my personality. I’m driven, I’m creative and I’m passionate, but most of all I’m not afraid of hard work. I’m as stubborn as anything and I’m a grit-your-teeth-and-do-the-hard-work-till-it’s-done kinda gal. There was a lot of gritting of teeth and I-think-I-can-I-think-I-can that went into editing my novel but I can now say officially, I’m finished. I have achieved what I set out to do even though there were many, many moments where I wondered if I’d make it. I still don’t know if my novel is good enough to be published but I do know it’s as good as I can make it with the experience and skills I have right now. I also know my next novel is going to be so much better.

I have to be honest and say that editing isn’t my favourite part of writing. I love the freedom, excitement and passion that comes with writing a first draft. But, editing is definitely the most important part. Anyone can write a dodgy first draft but it takes a certain level of commitment to get through the editing process and that screams ’serious writer’ in a powerful way.  And I’m hoping, in time, that I will come to love the editing process. I love the results of the editing process, but it’s about as much fun as running a marathon.

I believe I’ve just finished my first marathon. May it be the first of many!