Benefits of a Dump List

At this point in our writing process, Ms. Melissa and I have established something of a literary rhythm. First, we discuss the upcoming chapter and take notes about key plot points, settings, and characterization. Following the discussion, Ms. Melissa compiles the necessary research and images for the chapter. I refer to that research and write a draft. Then Ms. Melissa reads and revises that draft, often making significant changes by deleting and adding sections of text. This revised version becomes the working “first draft” of our manuscript.

Therefore, in our collaborative writing process, one round of revision happens almost immediately. This is a new experience for both of us.

A tool we’ve found useful for this revision is the use of a “dump list.” The benefit of a dump list is that it's a separate, orderly document where sections of text can be stored after they've have been discarded during revision.

For example, one time, Ms. Melissa changed the setting of an entire scene.

Ms. Lee: What happened to the Victorian parlor? I thought this bit of dialogue was happening in the parlor?

Ms. Melissa: Well, I thought about it and decided that a breakfast room with big windows might be a better choice.

Ms. Lee: Really? I thought we wanted a space that felt like grandma’s domain–something cluttered with photos and antiques that subtly reinforce her role as the head of the family.

Ms. Melissa: We did. But since we put grandma’s parlor on the second floor, Jacob had to navigate a lot of interior space to meet the family. The pacing felt off because there was so much description about the inside of the mansion. The breakfast room is an indoor/outdoor setting, so it’s easy to access and a realistic place for the family to hang out in the morning.

Ms. Lee: Okay, that could work. I like how the breakfast room has floor-to-ceiling windows that face the mountains.

Ms. Melissa: So are you cool with the new setting?

Ms. Lee: Yeah.

Ms. Melissa: You don’t sound cool.

Ms. Lee: No, I am. It’s a good change. It also reinforces characterization. Having Jacob–who represents wild, natural places–first meet Ella–who represents curated, human-made places–in a blended space like the breakfast room is a nice way to nod to both of them. I’m just sad that we don’t get to use my pretty sentences about the grandfather clock and the faded oriental carpeting.

Ms. Melissa: They were good sentences. Maybe we can use them somewhere else. I added them to the Dump List.

A dump list is kind of like the attic of a house. It’s a storage space for things you don’t need right now but might want to use in the future. It also allows you to hang on to emotional items that no longer serve a purpose, but you’re not quite ready to get rid of.

Our Dump List is a shared Google document. We group different sections of deleted text by chapter and use headings to give each section a title. (For example: Description of Grandma’s Parlor.) Using a format feature to create the headings also produces a menu of Document Tabs that allow us to more easily search for and jump to text we might want to repurpose or reinsert later.

As writers, we’re invested in the work we create. We spend time sequencing our plot and choosing the right words to convey images and emotion. And we want our sentences to have a sense of rhythm and poetry. It can be difficult, sometimes, to eliminate an entire scene or delete a particularly well-written pair of paragraphs. Knowing our words aren’t gone forever but, instead, relocated to a dump list can help us let go and revise more aggressively for the good of our story.

If any writers reading this post use other strategies to help with revision, please share them in the comments. We’re always interested in ways to develop and improve our writing process.

Photo credit: StockSnap at pixabay.com