How to Combine Your Drafts into One Cohesive Story

I am the type of author who enjoys starting a story somewhere in the middle. I tend to rewrite chapters, creating different incohesive drafts, and then merge them all into one cohesive story. The most overwhelming part of this method is bringing all those pieces together.

Although the process can be overwhelming, it's also exciting to see everything come together. The material is meant to come together, and when all the raw drafts make one, it's more than worth it.

Let's take a look at how you can melt your drafts into one cohesive story.

Photo by Abraham Aguilera: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-scattered-notes-and-illustrations-14772956/

Step One: Read Through Everything

To get an idea of what material you have, you should know what material you have. Read through all the drafts you have. Figure out what scenes or chapters will fit in your story. You can take notes about any overlapping scenes, plot points, stylistic differences, etc, while you read through. The main thing is to read and absorb.

Step Two: Choose a Draft to Build Off

One of your drafts will be the foundation for your story. It will be the draft you build off. Make sure this draft has the clearest structure and tone for your story. It's not meant to be done, but it should align best with what you want your story to look like later.

Step Three: Copy and Paste with Purpose

Move your drafts around and see how they fit together. If they don't, take certain ideas or lines from each draft and build. This is where you can also write transitions between chapters, and delete unneeded or duplicated scenes.

Step Four: Rewrite and Rewrite Again

Once you've established which of your drafts work, and have arranged them in order of how your story is going to proceed, it's time to edit. This is where you'll start line-editing. Allow yourself to write new scenes, to challenge your story and your characters. It's also okay to change direction from where your drafts originally started. You may feel some loyalty to old drafts and storylines, but change in this situation can be the wall you're meant ot break to improve your story.

Photo by Min An: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-white-and-black-journal-771322/

Combining multiple drafts isn't an easy task. You have to sculpt your previous writing to fit it into one cohesive story. It's a process, but a rewarding one.

I hope this encourages you to continue working on your old drafts! Thank you for reading, and happy Saturday! <3