I "finished" my latest manuscript the other day and shared the news on the loop -- with the caveat that meant a lot of editing and some big gaps to fill in. What does "the end" mean for your manuscript?
I remember what multi-published author Samantha James (a member of our chapter) said several years ago. She wrote about six pages a day, but those were usually pages that needed no editing. By the time they got down on paper, they were what she wanted. I was in awe.
No major rewrites, no spending thirty minutes searching an online thesaurus for the perfect word, no agonizing over a critique partner's comments and knowing "something" wasn't quite right but not being sure how to fix it, no brainstorms that provided the perfect answer but triggered additional research and rewrites in the remaining three-quarters of the book.
I do a lot of detailed plotting, yet I still end up doing several rewrites of a manuscript. Fortunately, the process of writing a manuscript seems to be getting easier. Or maybe I'm getting better at spotting where I went wrong and don't worry so much about tearing apart a scene or a chapter to make the story stronger.
This weekend I'll make a list of what still needs to be done on my manuscript and perhaps do some replotting to be sure I haven't dropped any story threads or subplots. Then I'll dig into additional research and start writing new scenes or beefing up ones I'm not quite happy with, as well as making sure the ratty orange cat that shows up on the heroine's doorstep turns into a sleek and pampered but still feisty feline by the end of the book. Yes, even the animals get a happily ever after in my stories!
How do you write? Are you a one-time through wonder who can produce a nearly perfect manuscript the first time through? Or do you do a dozen rewrites before you're getting close to satisfied? And just to satisfy my own curiosity, do you sit down and write whatever comes from the muse or do you write a detailed plot beforehand? Is there any relation between being a "panster" or a plotter and how many times you edit a manuscript?
Happy writing (and rewriting!)!
-Genene
6 comments:
I plot. I write straight through with limited editing. Then I edit extensively, making plot changes, scene changes, voice etc. Then I edit one more time for little stuff-ly, ing, format, punctuation, etc. First two books went through prob. 3 drafts each before I felt ready to send it out. I figure this one will be the same. Editing as I go just doesn't fit with my writing style. I am getting much better about formating as I go though. Neat topic and congrats on finishing!
Great topic, Genene! I love typing The End. Best feeling in the world.
I'm a two-steps-forward, one-step-back writer. I edit as I go. If I consciously know something's wrong, it bugs me to no end and I can't move forward. I tend to write about five chapters, go back and edit the heck out of them, then move ahead two-three at a time before going back and editing again. By the time I reach The End, the manuscript is pretty much done. I'll give it another read through to look for little stuff like word choices and sentence structure and to make sure it all flowed, but that's about it.
And yes, I'm a modified panster (my CP's say I'm a closet plotter, but they LIE!). I usually start with a snippet of an idea, write the initial three chapters, then sit back and think of where I want to go. I don't plot in detail, but I do keep a running list of plot points I want to hit. And I always know how the book will end even if I don't know anything else along the way.
I plot quite a bit before I sit down to write. I have all my scene cards done and in order and then I begin. I do the first draft with no editing. My first draft is the hardest for me, it's slow going.
I look forward to the revising and editing stages. That's always when I feel the most creative. Revising is a joy for me in my writing. Maybe a little too much because I never know when to stop.
Love the topic. Have fun with the rewrites.
Jennifer
I'm a plantster - I know the beginning of my book, the end of my book and a couple of turning points when I sit down and write. Then I write the whole thing all the way through, with a little editing and revising along the way.
Then I generally have several rewrite stages. Adding more description, emotions, backstory, then actually editing.
I love the research part, get a thrill from the actual writing, and despise the rewriting! LOL
But I've found the more books I write, the fewer things I have to fix. I'll type a sentence and automatically my brain will say- Nope, passive, or awkward, or backwards(the thing that was my nemisis when I started)and it gets fixed right there. OR I need a stronger word, or more emotion. Slowly, it gets to be more mechanical and makes the rewrite stage easier.
Great topic, Genene! Especially as I am in the revising stage of a book!And way to go on your "The End"
BTW- do you all write The End at the end of the manuscript and leave it there? I was told eons ago to do that made you look like an amateur. So I've never had the satisfaction of writing those two words. 8v(
When I start a ms. I know the major plot point and the ending. Or at least I think I do. Sometimes during the writing those change for the better. I know a lot about my characters -- backstory, what tortures them etc...
Then I just start writing. I edit a lot as I go and have to keep pushing myself to get through to the end. Like your book, at the end of the first draft mine has a lot of holes and needs a lot of revisions. It's really a 50 or 60 thousand word outline at this point. A lot of what I've written will get dropped or changed, but that's life for a panster.
It takes me three good drafts before I have anything I'm even starting to feel remotely proud of. About six drafts into the thing I'm starting to feel finished.
Very intesting ways of writing and rewriting. I feel like a mutant, because I use some of all these ways, I think!
I don't write "the end" because I pick at the story until it goes out the door, then I pick at it some more!
Post a Comment