Hi Reader,

In order to see what your story needs, you need to see your story from a new perspective.

That’s one of the main reasons why I recommend revising via scene list. Each time I begin working with a new client, the first task I set them is to summarize their manuscript in a scene list.

And every time, before they even share their scene list with me, they tell me some version of this:

“This is sparking so many new ideas! I’m already seeing things I want to change.”

That new insight is what happens when you shift your lens just enough to see your story fresh.

And I don’t just say that because it’s what all my clients report. I’ve experienced this myself, as recently as yesterday.

I’m summarizing Looking for Alaska by John Green in my favorite scene list format. It’s one of my favorite novels. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it.

And I have a leg up on creating this scene list, because I’ve studied this story in granular detail many times in the last eight years. I’ve mapped the big-picture story structure. I’ve used excerpts as examples on the podcast and with clients. I’ve even tracked my analysis of every single scene on a forty-column spreadsheet . . .

twice.

Yet in creating this scene list, I’m discovering layers of this story I’d never seen before.

In fact, yesterday, after analyzing only the first six chapters, I remapped my entire understanding of the story’s genre.

In other words, with one perspective shift, I understood the very foundations of this story in a whole new way.

It’s a story I know in my bones, one I return to again and again, the kind of story that shapes how I see the world.

And yet, when I shift my lens, I discover fundamental things I’ve never seen before.

* * *

Ready to shift your perspective on your story?

Try asking some of the questions I’ve been using to summarize Looking for Alaska. Pull out a scene of your novel, read it, and ask yourself:

• What draws your attention when you read this scene? What’s interesting? What’s exciting?
• What draws your protagonist’s attention in this scene? What are they focusing on? How do they feel about it?
• What’s literally happening in this scene?
• Are there any details in this scene that matter to the plot and will come up again?
• How does this scene move the protagonist closer to or farther from their external goal?
• How does this scene move the protagonist closer to or farther from their internal need?

Then, summarize the scene in a paragraph that describes what happens.

Do that scene-by-scene for the entire story, and I can all but guarantee that you’ll uncover new insights on the problems that have been plaguing your revision.

The first step is simply shifting your perspective.

Happy editing,

Alice

P.S. What comes after the scene list? What do you do with all the ideas your scene list sparks?

Well, that’s the heart of revision. It’s also the hard part. And I’d love to support you in it.

In Story Clarity, you’ll build your scene list. Then, you and I will work together to get crystal clear on your story’s foundations, craft a rock-solid teeny-tiny outline of your story, and design your foolproof revision strategy. We’ll take all your “aha”s from creating your scene list and turn them into a trustworthy revision plan.

I have space for new Story Clarity clients starting in August. Interested? Hit reply, and I’ll send you more details.