Attack on Titan: Creative Process

Rough Draft Example

Following is an example of what my rough draft document looks like, followed by what would then become the finished product. In the rough draft, text surrounded by [brackets] is for notes, sections to be deleted or reworked, and reference material from the show, such as specific lines of dialogue or important details.

Excerpt from Rough Draft:

[Fear is a common motif throughout the story. Begin with commentary about fear or begin with a scene?]

[Begin with scene, finish chapter with commentary about fear]

INTRODUCTION:

He made no effort to hide the disinterested yawn that escaped his lips. Thenearby cadets shot nervous glances his way, though he wasn't quite sure why. Itwas peculiar, he thought, that such a mundane action should receive such atense response. He was just tired. And why shouldn't he be? It was still theearly hours of the morning, so he wasn't yet fully awake, and the sun, thoughstill low in the sky, bathed him in a comfortable warmth that lulled himdangerously towards sleep.

The morning sun beat down on the necks of the recruits. [place later]

[It's not like the Commandant would see him, anyways. The miserable pillock had yet]

[13 rows of cadets] [Armin in row three. Connie, Jean, Marco in row four. Sasha in row five]

If they were afraid of the Commandant seeing, he didn't see why. The miserable pillock had yet to show his ugly mug, and even if they had, he had four rows of people standing in front of him and another seven behind, not to mention the countless individuals standing on his right and left. He was just another face in a sea of uniforms.

A gentle breeze had his eyes growing heavier. [Already he had snapped his head upright]. Twice he had caught his chin falling to his chest and had to snap his head upright. He probably wouldn't have caught himself the third timehad it not been for the severe shout that came from the front rank.

"Straighten those spines, piss ants!" The Commandant greeted. "The 104h Cadet Corps Boot Camp starts now!"

[Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Commandant Keith Sadies; and you will grow to hate me! Training is gonna be a white-knuckle ride through Hell. If I've done my job, you'll be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place every night for the rest of your miserable lives. Right now, you're nothing. Livestock. But over the next three, soul-crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own goliath. Remember this moment when you come face to face with him, 'cause here's where you ask yourself, 'am I a fighter, or am I feed? Am I gonna be ground up to pulpy human grist 'tween boulder sized incisors, or am I gonna be the one to bite?'"] 

Introduction about fear

Fear came in the form of the Titans

Staring into their eyes was like staring into the abyss

Some look away, others stare resolutely back, and others laugh, because they are mad.

Everyaction has been dictated by fear 

Excerpt from Final Draft, derived from rough draft above:

He made no effort to hide the disinterested yawn that escaped his lips. The nearby cadets shot nervous glances his way, though he wasn't quite sure why. It was peculiar, he thought, that such a mundane action should receive such a tense response. He was just tired. And why shouldn't he be? It was still the early hours of the morning, so he wasn't yet fully awake, and the sun, though still low in the sky, bathed him in a comfortable warmth that lulled him dangerously towards sleep.

If they were afraid the Commandant would spot him, he didn't see why. The miserable pillock had yet to show his ugly mug, and besides, he had four rows of people standing in front of him and another seven behind, not to mention the countless individuals flanking him on his right and left. He was just another face in a sea of uniforms.

A gentle breeze had his eyes growing heavier. Twice already he had caught his chin falling toward his chest and had to snap his head upright. He probably wouldn't have caught himself the third time had it not been for the severe shout that came from the front rank.

XxXxXx

As you can see, the note taking process isn't confined to just the manuscript. Sometimes details important to a single scene or chapter find there way in the rough draft to more easily be referenced at the appropriate time. There's clearly a lot of material that also gets cut from the final copy, such as different ways to start the story or different trains of thought that pertain to a specific scene or idea. Also, you will notice subtle differences in the choice of words, grammar, or mechanics between the story text in the rough draft and the final copy.

ie; If they were afraid of the Commandant seeing/If they were afraid the Commandant would spot him

The reason for the above change from 'seeing' to 'spot', is because later in the sentence the word 'see' is used (...,he didn't see why). I did not want to place 'seeing' and 'see' so close together because it would sound redundant.