Here’s the exercise, if anyone else wants to try it:

Open the document, choose a random scene.

Rewrite the scene as being completely over the top dramatic.

Rewrite the scene again as being completely underplayed.

Compare the two.

Some things I learned over the week by doing this:

Binge drama is actually really refreshing. I’m not saying I would actually use these scenes (most were pretty ridiculous) but in the privacy of one’s own Craft Work document, it’s nice to just let go once in a while. It kind of helped to get it out of my system.

It was much harder to write the underplayed scene. Which, I suppose, speaks volumes about me as a writer. But I felt like I learned a lot more from the second scene, while the first was primarily cathartic. As I rewrote the scene, I had to actively search for ways to drop the tension out of the scene. I found that if I had characters make a decision quickly, that instantly dropped the dramatics of the scene. I took out multiple options. I didn’t allow them to be nervous about what the others would think. And yeah, the scenes were wickedly boring, but by actively taking out these elements I was able to better define what adds that suspense and mystery.

I had way more description in the second scene. I’m not sure what to make of that observation really. Should I limit the amount of description overall because it slows a book down? I mean… you need that, right?