Rohvannyn Shaw's Blog: The Pencil and Quill - Posts Tagged "draft"
The most painful part of writing
The most painful part of writing has to be the rewrite. This is especially true if you have a thorough editor. Here's your story, and you're all warm and glowing from the rush of finishing it. Finally! It's done! It's ready to be sent to all your eager readers! There's the blurb, and you've picked the category, and the cover's done...
...only, it's not. The book is a long way from being done. if you're lucky, there's a long list of corrections. If you're unlucky, there's a request to rewrite huge chunks of it. In my case, I was told that I need to totally rewrite about the first third of my book. Once that's done, there are all the niggling little details. Unanswered questiones, things that don't make sense, and sometimes fun little things like "I don't understand why (x) happened," that demand even more rewrites. It can be a really tough process!
Here are some hints if you want to minimize your editing pain:
Figure out all your character details first. Write everything down.
Figure out all your area info - landforms, governments, cities, etc. Include types of buildings, typical weather, etc. Write everything down.
Outline your story. Even if you write by the seat of your pants, outline afterwards. This is very important to make sure your story line doesn't wander, and that you understand where it's going and why. It also helps prevent dropped subplots.
Always, always, always remember that every problem your editor tells you about is a problem that won't come up later and be complained about by a reader. Every problem eliminated is a victory and a very good thing. That's why feedback is a gift. (This is very hard for me to remember after the fiftieth correction.)
Sometimes, you can ignore what your editor has to say, but always have a good reason for it. Sometimes the editor might way "I don't like that," but there really isn't anything wrong with the story, it's just a matter of personal preference.
If you are editing your book yourself, it can help to view the book in a different format. IF you wrote it on computer, reading it on printed page, for example, can help.
Always take a final look and read through to catch any remaining issues, no matter how many people have worked on it.
...only, it's not. The book is a long way from being done. if you're lucky, there's a long list of corrections. If you're unlucky, there's a request to rewrite huge chunks of it. In my case, I was told that I need to totally rewrite about the first third of my book. Once that's done, there are all the niggling little details. Unanswered questiones, things that don't make sense, and sometimes fun little things like "I don't understand why (x) happened," that demand even more rewrites. It can be a really tough process!
Here are some hints if you want to minimize your editing pain:
Figure out all your character details first. Write everything down.
Figure out all your area info - landforms, governments, cities, etc. Include types of buildings, typical weather, etc. Write everything down.
Outline your story. Even if you write by the seat of your pants, outline afterwards. This is very important to make sure your story line doesn't wander, and that you understand where it's going and why. It also helps prevent dropped subplots.
Always, always, always remember that every problem your editor tells you about is a problem that won't come up later and be complained about by a reader. Every problem eliminated is a victory and a very good thing. That's why feedback is a gift. (This is very hard for me to remember after the fiftieth correction.)
Sometimes, you can ignore what your editor has to say, but always have a good reason for it. Sometimes the editor might way "I don't like that," but there really isn't anything wrong with the story, it's just a matter of personal preference.
If you are editing your book yourself, it can help to view the book in a different format. IF you wrote it on computer, reading it on printed page, for example, can help.
Always take a final look and read through to catch any remaining issues, no matter how many people have worked on it.
The Pencil and Quill
A blog for artists, writers, readers, and creators of all kinds. Some tips and random thoughts. I'll always strive to be entertaining.
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