Preparing for a rewrite

[Dorsey]

Ok authors, after you have put countless hours into your work and and finally saying you're done only to realize you have to rewrite/rework it, how do you prepare for basically having to write another book?

[Charles]

When rewriting, it is important for me to be patient, and not try to rush through the process to get it done.

[Reese]

I do this with every book I write, and it's a process I'm trying to break. I'm literally on my 10th rewrite of my current WIP, 2 of which were all the way to the end. What I do is I make an outline of the things I need to change, chapter by chapter, so I can bite it off in small chunks without feeling overwhelmed. If I find myself rewriting and rewriting the same section/chapter because something is bothering me, I try to get second opinions to figure out what exactly is going wrong. I usually write my new document with the old one beside it. Sometimes I reuse sections; other times, I close it and just write new scenes from scratch with what feels right. I hope that at least helps give you a start. The hardest part is that sometimes you have to throw away scenes you just loved, because they no longer fit with the rewritten version--but if it makes the story stronger, it's a sacrifice that has to be made.

[Melissa]

I'm currently rewriting two stories that I wrote well over a decade ago - one a complete rewrite and the other more like very aggressive editing. It was back during a time when my writing skills were still tripping over themselves but I was totally unaware of it, and the result was a major mess.

Usually when a story gives me trouble to the point where I feel it needs to be rewritten, I'll take a break from it, either by writing something else or doing other activities. The more I can clear my mind of the story, the better I'm able to pinpoint the issues when I do get back to it. Basically, a "looking at it with fresh eyes" kind of thing. And once those issues are pinpointed, I'm usually pretty enthused about getting back into writing it.

[Martin]

This is a standard step in my process. For me it's like building a house.

The first draft is building a good foundation, framing it in, making it weather tight.

Second draft re-write adds the power, plumbing and drywall.

Final is trim and paint.

Enjoy and plan it into your schedules.

[April]

Dorsey wrote: "Ok authors, after you have put countless hours into your work and and finally saying you're done only to realize you have to rewrite/rework it, how do you prepare for basically having to write anot..."

I rewrote my first novel TWICE.... that's three times in all. It took me a year, but it was worth it for what I learned in the process. I just buckled down and did it. Revising/editing is my favorite part of the process, so I didn't mind it too much.

[T.L.]

Meditate! No, seriously.
Deep breaths, calm, clear your mind.
Then, as Reese said, approach it in bite sized chunks.

It's a horrid process which every author loaths.
We've put out heart and soul into our work, and feel it should be perfect first time.
Guess what; you're not perfect and there's no such thing!

I have a lousy memory, which actually helps me. I tend to forget what I had written so it is a fresh pair of eyes.

Deep breaths! Calm! Oooohhh....ooooommmm....!

xx

[Frederick]

I'm rewriting mine last 6 years on regular bases so it comes as relief seeing better version. Real question is - when is enough? Sometimes I come back to the starting point.

[A.J.]

When you get a little feedback like, LOVE the story Dahhhhling! AND the characters! BUT ...
*sigh*
At first it's like being told your feet are too big ...
What can I do? The story IS the story! ...
Well maybe I could TRY to improve it ... again (x some large number)
... and it's back to Book Surgery 101 ... and scrub up your brain to remove all preconceived must includes
... I love writing ... but editing? ... oh man

[[deleted user]]

I target the things that were wrong with the first one, use word find to locate the sections/topics, smooth them out and read the document from beginning to end to smooth out the subsequent "ripples" that the changes brought.

[Ceanmohrlass]

I wrote a few stories when I was young, and I still liked the overall idea, but when I read them years later, I was not happy at all with the finished product. The books were never released, but I still wanted them to be, so I set down to review and rewrite. It would have been easier to jot down the problems as I found them, and use that list to help, but I just dove in changing things and made a huge mess. I had to start over a few times before I learned that the outline process definitely helped me stay on track. It's worth a try and next time I rewrite I will outline the existing version so I can see the problems.

[M.L.]

If you haven't let it sit for a while, you might try that. I think it helps with objectivity, being able to see it/read it as 'new'. Also, in the meantime, working on a concise blurb is good. Knowing exactly what the book is about, and being able to articulate it, may help staying on course in the re-write.

[Shane]

I don't really do drafts and I wouldn't call it rewriting either. To me rewriting sounds like the story is so bad you have to scrap it and start over. Refining is what i'd call it. I put it away, work on something else. Come back to it, refine it, take stuff out. Put it away. Work on something else. Read it again, refine it.

Because when you read it with fresh eyes its a lot easier to point out your mistakes and a lot of time when rereading it I think (what the heck did I mean by that?) Reading it out loud helps. And after ten times of doing that it starts to look like something. But if you have several stories on the go you don't hold onto your baby so tightly, and that way you can take a critical look at its flaws.

You don't want to force it.

[Dorsey]

Shane wrote: "I don't really do drafts and I wouldn't call it rewriting either. To me rewriting sounds like the story is so bad you have to scrap it and start over. Refining is what i'd call it. I put it away, w..."

I was wondering how other authors deal with several stories at one time. I know some resources I rea advised against it, but like you, I actually prefer it and found helps me to keep writing and my creative juices flowing for all the stories I'm juggling.

[Dorsey]

How about rewriting a book you've already released?

[Martin]

I believe constantly re-writing is a trap. "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Call it done and move on.

Don't let fear stop you.

[[deleted user]]

I just released the fifth and final edition of my novel "Warzone: Nemesis." I will release the second novel of my series next year. I have quite the opposite view of rewriting. I learn from my critics, and if they are right, I update. Since this is the foundation for my series, I want it done right. Not that it was shabby--my review rating was 4.2/5 stars before the last update. I am mindful of the fact that James Clavell took twelve years to write "Shogun: A Novel of Japan." I took nine years to finish my debut novel, and two more to get to the fifth edition. We all have a different philosophy of what is right. This is mine.

[M.L.]

Why would you re-write something you already released? I have to agree, move on. Maybe way later . . . as in 'author's preferred version' . . . but really with self-pub that doesn't seem to apply, unless of course you have an editor and are listening to that person and then disagree later, but I still don't think it applies as I've seen it done.

[Angel]

I agree with Martin that's how I think of writing/rewriting or even when I'm fixing plot holes, inconsistencies or editing. etc. I think of it as building a house or even sometimes as a jigsaw puzzle and I have to make sure the pieces fit properly.

Otherwise, I start all over to fit the pieces together to make the whole. I've rewritten my novel several times, edited, fixed it so many times. Now I'm just tweaking and adding important parts that are lacking in certain parts of the plot or involving the character.

I have been working on this novel for three years now and hoping to release it this month. But, I want to get it right. But, as far as rewriting the whole thing again. No, that part is well developed now. I'm also focusing on finishing the ending.

But, I will never go back and rewrite a book I've since released. What's done is done I say. I hash out all my grievances before publication.

[[deleted user]]

I rewrite because of what I learn from reviewers. Until my first release, it was "my baby." After that I viewed the thing as dispassionately as Michael Corleone of the Godfather. It stopped being personal, it starting being business. I modified, cut, and changed logic elements, and added where needed. I remember the whole purpose for my second edition, besides correcting some errors that had come to light, was to add more metaphors and add more descriptive style. Why would I leave something i labored over for nine years with obvious flaws that i could fix and upload easily?

[Shane]

Not at that stage yet. Once I finish something I work on something else. I guess I want a good amount of material before I start releasing stuff, like a backlog. But I don't know why any one would advise against writing several stories at once. Perhaps they think that if you juggle so many around nothing will get down and that they'll all be half done. Not true at all. In fact, a lot of time when I really focus on one story I can't seem to get it done. There were three short stories I was working on and I really wanted to finish them but I also didn't want them to have a cliched ending so instead I just sat wondering how to make them work and I realized that I was forcing my story, you don't want to do that because its harder for you to write and it shows in your writing. So then out of the blue I thought of another story I got excited about and wrote it in one night. I don't know why that happens but you gotta write when it does.

[[deleted user]]

Yeah. I have a book I am writing about editing that I go work on for a while, then shelf it. I will probably work on my next novel in a flurry of activity when I get started, but until then, I will edit other people's books, write articles, and review books. Then after publishing book #2, I will wait for reviews, update, and update again, until I am satisfied, then on to #3. Electronic self-publishing is great. It cost nothing for an update, and all you need is a word processor and an internet connection.

I just realized an Ezine article "Embracing Change for an Author" http://ezinearticles.com/?Embracing-C...

One criticism about self-publishing from the critics is that the books are poorly edited. Make sure your book is professionally done, even if you have to go back and fix it.

[Shane]

Morris wrote: "Yeah. I have a book I am writing about editing that I go work on for a while, then shelf it. I will probably work on my next novel in a flurry of activity when I get started, but until then, I will..."

Good article Morris.

[[deleted user]]

Thank you.

[Roxanne]

I think tweaking a story you've already released is not necessarily a bad thing. My reviews were pretty good, but the reviewers pointed out some flaws that could have been done better. So at some point, I'm going to revisit and put out a second edition. As for rewrites, there comes a point where enough is enough, the story is told and I really can't do anymore. The stuff I put in is extraneous. The stuff I take out is critical, and I end up putting it back in. I just reach a point where I simply have to stop messing with the book, and put it out there.

[[deleted user]]

Morris wrote: "I rewrite because of what I learn from reviewers. Until my first release, it was "my baby." After that I viewed the thing as dispassionately as Michael Corleone of the Godfather. It stopped being p..."

I agree. From reviewers I learned what readers did and did not like about my first novel, so I did a rewrite of some sections, added new ones, deleted others, for a second edition. Although the first edition had some good reviews, I believe the second one is better, and I don't regret the few weeks I spent on the rewrite.

[[deleted user]]

That brings me to another thought: The best way to see through a reviewers eyes is to become one. I rank about 89,000 as an Amazon reviewer, reviewing about two books a week. I also ratcheted up my reading activity. I remember from another post recently where a veteran author of 20 years said that he only trusts his readers and his bank balance. Well, my bank balance tells me to find out what my readers want and give it to them. We can't be arrogant enough to say, 'This is my book and take it or leave it.' We have to be responsive to the readers and change when needed or else you are just writing a diary, because you are the only one who will read it.

[[deleted user]]

Morris wrote: "We can't be arrogant enough to say, 'This is my book and take it or leave it.' We have to be responsive to the readers and change when needed or else you are just writing a diary, because you are the only one who will read it...."

I disagree with that just a little. Our taste in literature is really not unique; many others will like the same type of read that we do. So if an author writes only for himself, as long as he observes the rules of a good story I believe that others are likely to enjoy it also. His audience may only be a small niche, but if he writes for that niche instead of a wider audience he'll likely find writing to be a more satisfying experience. After all, while we would all like to write that blockbuster that'll make us rich, we're not really writing for money or fame. Giving in to that lure will make writing too mechanical and formulaic, and for most of us there's no fun in that.

My decision to rewrite was partly because of this excerpt from one of the reviews: "I feel that with further development this could have been an excellent sci-fi read rather than just an okay one."

I don't know if I achieved the excellence he wanted, but even I liked the book better after the rewrite.

[[deleted user]]

I get that. I don't mean that you have to cater to everyone's tastes. If you're writing in an action and adventure genre, you won't please people who don't like A&A. You can't please everyone, and that's a fact. I've had a couple acid-reviews. The tone was so hostile that my first impression was to write them off. But, I got my ego out of the way and read carefully what was being said. I was able, in both cases, to glean that about fifty percent of what they said was right. I changed that part and it made for a better book. I simply ignored the other half of the criticism, because it wasn't rational. In both cases, even though the critic was mean-spirited, it still made for a better book to change it.

And I am sure that the book never achieved the excellence that either wanted. But that was okay; it made it better for everyone else.