I’ve had the marked up manuscript for “Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero” since August and I have been making some steady progress.

One of the things my editor, Robert Runte’ said to me before I even saw the edits was, it would be a lot of work, but it would save me a lot of time in the long run (i.e. future novels). Seeing the items he has requested for revision, I would have to agree with him. Three stand out specifically:

1. Rushing Scenes

I’ve probably mentioned this before and I’m sure I’m not unique in this writing mistake. I have the bad habit of finishing a scene too quickly.

I’ve really looked at it (and myself) to better understand why I’m prone to doing this and I think I better understand it. When I’m writing, I have these great ideas for how I want the scene to go. I hit the paper at full speed and write like crazy. But, I eventually start getting tired of of it and want to move on to the next exciting scene. That sometimes means I finish it too quickly. I miss the opportunity to build suspense and engage the reader even more deeply.

Resolution: I’m now watching the scenes more carefully. I’m pretty sure I will still make the mistake, I’ve just to be sure I reduce it.

2. Straying from the Main Idea of the Story

Every story has a primary plot that drives the characters. There may be many minor plot threads that add more to the story, but the primary one must be taken to its proper conclusion. Everything needs to work toward that eventual finish.

It was pointed out that I have a few scenes that seem to stray off and not really help the story along. Worse, they aren’t really sub-plots that help either.

Resolution: scrutinize each scene to ensure that it fits. I’ve actually pulled a couple scenes completely from the story because they didn’t actually speak to the main plot. The good news is, they can all be reused in other books.

3. This mistake can be summarized as follows: “Is this really what my character would/should do?”

As the title of the book suggests, it is about a boy who is a superhero (or at least wants to be). There were a couple places where I let him act like a normal kid. Now, that in itself is not wrong, but he sometimes does things that don’t ring true to his ambition.

Resolution: I’ve done two different things to fix this. The first is to rewrite the scene into something that rings more true. The other, and this is my preferred way, is to have him act like a kid, and then remind himself that he isn’t an ordinary boy. He has taken on responsibilities (protecting the town and his family) and needs to behave accordingly. I like this because it emphasizes that he is a real boy. Not some comic book ideal who never makes mistakes.

So, there you have it. That’s what I’ve managed to learn in the first half of my revisions. I need to get back to it because this anticipation is getting harder and harder to deal with.

I don’t know about you, but there is a point in my stories where I am solidly down the road and want to see the end. It is at that point that I must be most careful otherwise I rush through scenes that should get a lot more attention.

That fact became extremely obvious in my current edits. The first part of the book has very few places where I need to add detail or rewrite a scene. The second part of the book needs quite a bit more attention.

I think my biggest sin has been thinking a problem can be resolved in a single effort.

I should know better. Any problem I’ve ever faced has rarely been fixed satisfactorally the first time I tried. Usually, I’ve done what I thought would most easily get things back on track. Then, something else would come up that would need some additional work. If people were in the mix, it was that much harder.

So, why would I expect my character to be any different?

As my editor has said in his comments, the struggle invokes several things: action, tension and more investment from the reader. For example, I have a plot thread where my protagonist, Mik, is bullied by a girl who just moved into town. Mik is a pretty laid back guy and doesn’t quite understand what is going on. He apologizes for the perceived slight to the girl but it doesn’t fix the problem. In fact, things get worse.

So, he does his best to deal with the problem. He avoids the confrontations initially but she manages to catch him alone and he stands his ground. In the edited version of the draft, they have a showdown which he wins. She backs off and never bothers him again.

Except, in real life, that probably wouldn’t happen. By ending the conflict so quickly, the reader doesn’t really get a chance to cheer for Mik and boo the girl. It is too much of a cowboy ending where everything is resolved after the final gunfight.

I added a brand new chapter that sees things escalate rapidly after that showdown. The girl begins a campaign to discredit Mik and ultimately frames him and gets him tossed out of school. Mik could take revenge, but he is supposed to be a superhero, right? Instead, he does what he thinks is right and the girl gets caught in her own web of lies after going one step too far.

By adding the scene, we get a better glimpse of Mik’s character and inner struggles. We also have a chance to find a character to root against (and for) AND we see a situation that is more in keeping with reality.

I suspect I’ll have a few more of those show up as I continue to go through the edits.

It’s a great lesson for me though. Don’t try to go too quickly and miss those opportunities. Expand on them instead and take advantage of the story-telling opportunities.

How about you? Have you ever caught yourself rushing your stories?