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As a change of pace from the usual onslaught of horror, I thought it might be fun to take a brief look at how I go about structuring my work. On the assumption *someone* out there might find it useful /1
I'm a big believer in spending time working out structural beats. What am I trying to tell you in this chapter? What is the point of this paragraph? What is this book trying to accomplish? /2
I am also a huge believer that every component part of the work needs to be about ONE thing. No matter how many nested dolls are hiding inside, the doll I'm looking at should always be about ONE thing. /3
I should be able to describe this one thing in less than five words. If I can't describe the part I'm looking at in less than five words...I do not yet know what I'm looking at! And thus neither does the reader+listener /4
This sussing out of what each component part is about (eg chapter, section, paragraph), helps clarify what stays and what goes. I can test each sub-component by asking the simple question: "is this working towards the ONE thing?" If yes, yay. If no, goodbye. /5
So this becomes a series of north stars to align the whole project from bottom-up and top-down. Sometimes I'll realize that the sub-components actually tell a different story than I thought. In that case I change the master description. The point is clarity not rigidity /6
Let us turn to the real world. I am writing a book about Lafayette. What is the point of the book? What's it about? For something like this, it is not mysterious or hard. So I write down the ONE thing the book is about. /7
You'll notice it doesnt say "The life AND TIMES of Lafayette." This is small but crucial. I'm writing a narrative biography of one person's life. That's the project. It's not a sprawling account of the whole world. This becomes a basic test for topics for inclusion+exclusion /8
Moving on. The book is divided into 3 parts. Each part is about one thing. The overarching theme under which all else falls is defined. Still pretty simple. /9
Each Part is divided into chapters. Part I, for example, is divided into 9 chapters. What is written in brackets is not the name of each chapter but what each chapters is accomplishing. It's the large beats of his life I want to hit. /10
(oh and to be clear, these pages I'm taking pictures of are literally part of my process. I'm not doing this just to show you...this is how I work. Sometimes I find myself hesitating what to write. That's good! That means that part isn't clear and needs attention) /11
Then we get into more detail. Each chapter is broken down into subsections. Usually 5-7 in total. Each of these subsections will relate to the overarching point of the chapter above and define the individual paragraphs below. Here's the first 3 chapters... /12
Now it's time for the nitty-gritty. The great and noble foundation of all prose writing: the paragraph. Every paragraphs is about ONE thing and ONE THING ONLY. I spend time defining each and every paragraph in a simple phrase. Less than five words. /13
Once I know what each paragraph is meant to do...what simple single beat it's meant to hit...I can test every sentence inside the paragraph. Is it in harmony or discordant? Working toward the goal, or just wandering aimlessly in other directions? /14
Lots of times paragraphs I have written turn out to be about more than one thing but it's all important. That's ok, simple fix: Time to make two paragraphs! Each get their own simple description. /15
The point of all this is to keep everything marching to a series of clear and steady beats. This helps the reader (listener) stay on a clear and steady path. It helps me wave my conductor's baton with more confidence. It's not a muddle. It's got rhythm. /16
One unanswered question: WHEN do I do this? Do I sit down and map it all out before I write? Answer: good god no. Rough drafts can't be bound by such constraining nonsense. You gotta scribble baby. Tap the vein of the creative unconscious /17
The process of sorting, naming, defining, and arranging comes AFTER the rough draft has poured out of you. I try to not think very hard about the rough draft. Dump it out THEN poke it with a stick. Remember kids: Write Fast Edit Slow /18
But, for me, the process of structural arrangement is very important. I spend time and attention on it. It's how I turn stream-of-consciousness noise into informative signal. People sometimes compliment my ability to communicate complex ideas...this is a big part of the how /19
In the end, I can look at the book from any level. Everything should be simultaneously working towards the component above it or defining the components below it. When it works, it all becomes a beautiful harmonious machine /20
TL/DR: Make sure your things are only about one thing /fin
Addendum. I dug out some paragraph beat sheets from recent episodes of Revolutions to give you a different look.
I cross them out one-by-one during the final edit. Red line means “ready to record” and helps me see the light at the end of the tunnel.
