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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& #39;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& #39;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& #39;t describe the part I& #39;m looking at in less than five words...I do not yet know what I& #39;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& #39;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& #39;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& #39;ll notice it doesnt say "The life AND TIMES of Lafayette." This is small but crucial. I& #39;m writing a narrative biography of one person& #39;s life. That& #39;s the project. It& #39;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& #39;s the large beats of his life I want to hit. /10
(oh and to be clear, these pages I& #39;m taking pictures of are literally part of my process. I& #39;m not doing this just to show you...this is how I work. Sometimes I find myself hesitating what to write. That& #39;s good! That means that part isn& #39;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& #39;s the first 3 chapters... /12
Now it& #39;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& #39;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& #39;s all important. That& #39;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& #39;s baton with more confidence. It& #39;s not a muddle. It& #39;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& #39;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& #39;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.
