Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book

by Allison K. Williams

Plot happens when a character’s expectations are different from reality.

book’s true beginning: the story starts when the bad situation gets personal.

the dramatic change is often in the protagonist’s relationship to the world rather than changing the world itself.

The larger conflict is often between the protagonist and her world, or the protagonist and a political or social force, but immediate conflicts within scenes are almost always between people.

The thing they want is directly jeopardized by who they are.

For each scene, note who is directly hindered by their Weakness or distracted by their Foible.