Last time I talked to you about how my inner editor had escaped, and how I was planning to catch her, put her back in her cage, and make sure I locked it this time. I swear that was my intention. I was going to do it.
I'm not sure what happened, to be honest. I had the cage open, the editor in hand, and I was really trying to get her back in the cage...and then she was gone again. Slipping away as if I had never caught her in the first place.
Here's the thing, though, I've never had a great relationship with my inner editor. Okay, so actually I had a great relationship with her. I just shoved her into her cage and forgot about her. I never checked on her. Hell, I don't even know her name. It was the perfect writing relationship. She never got on my case, so I could just keep writing all of the time without having to worry about it. I was even able to leave those little red lines under the words alone. At least, I was until the end of the word war.
It was fantastic! So, what happened, you ask? Simple. I let her out.
I decided it was high time I did some editing. July was always supposed to be an editing month for me, so when the betas didn't get back to me, I had a very cranky editor bitching at me every day about how this was supposed to be her time.
So I gave in. I pulled out the other novel I happened to have finished (don't give me that look, it's the one I wrote in June...) and started the edits on it. You might have heard me ranting...um...I mean discussing...the fact that there were going to be some major rewriting going on with the novel.
I was actually looking forward to it, which I'm starting to think may have something to do with how often I leave her locked up. Honestly, more than I really should. Even when I'm editing I'm not really consulting her. I tear through it and don't fix most of the problems. It's not a good way to edit, and as a result I've never gotten a novel to the point that I can actually say I was happy with it.
Now, though, my inner editor seems to have had enough. She's battened down the hatches, and she intends to stay for the long haul. Which means, she wants me to edit.
Of course, now all I can think about is the book that I've been editing. My writing has gone absolutely no where in days, despite my decision to hold off on the sequel I was writing in order to finish editing the first book. I stare at the screen for hours instead of doing anything productive, all because I keep trying to put her off.
Maybe I need to give in to her. I write enough during the year that maybe right now I need to get down to editing. I need to focus on this novel that could be the first one I publish (if anyone is willing to take on another werewolf book...). Maybe I shouldn't keep on ignoring her, even when she's yelling in my ear.
I guess it's about time that I actually take my editing seriously. That I finish editing a novel, step back and think, that's pretty damn good. It's time for me to sit down with my inner editor and fix everything that's wrong with this novel
Hmmm...I wonder if my inner editor has a name?
Well, off to tackle the challenge of getting this book up to par!
Showing posts with label rewrites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rewrites. Show all posts
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sunday, July 8, 2012
That's Not What I Wrote...Is It?
As I mentioned in my last post, I've spent the time since the end of the first round of Camp Nano working on some short stories. Three of them, in fact.
I've finished all of them now, each of them printed out and gone over. The first has been submitted. The last still needs the changes put into the computer (I edit on paper. Also, I realized that I had gone over the word count limit by more than 200 words and needed to take out words) The second one, though, has left me wanting more.
When I originally thought of this idea, I was excited by it. I thought it would be a great short story. My critique group would love it, and I could maybe expand on it at a later date. I couldn't wait to see how it turned out.
Well, it seems that it turned out a little underwhelming. I knew it was going to even as I was writing it. I still can't put my finger on what, specifically, is wrong with it. The main character annoys me. There doesn't seem to be any action when there should be lots of it, and the end just seems too easy for the antagonist.
I don't know how many of you have ever felt that. I know that I have. Even with my novels. It makes me want to shelf the entire thing and move on to better ideas that I'll be able to write better. That will be able to sell better. Anything to get away from the story that just isn't right.
With a short story, it's pretty easy to say it needs to be redone and throw the entire thing. The story was only about 3500 words. I know that I can write another one with no problem. I'm not even going to throw out the idea behind it, I'm just going to adapt it to a new way to look at that same idea. It shouldn't be too hard, and I'm hoping that it comes across better than the original did.
The novels, however, are another story altogether. We spend weeks, months or even years working on a single novel. They can be hundreds of thousands of words long. Throwing all of that in the garbage to start again is not only demotivating, it's also quite detrimental to us as writers.
I've always been a big believer of 'You can edit crap, you can't edit nothing.' As writers we have the ability to go back over work that we think is subpar and fix it. Make it into the very thing that we wanted it to be in the first place. Sure, that could include rewriting, adding or even straight out deleting scenes, but we're still working with the original content.
Throwing out an entire novel is like saying that we wasted all of that time. It's not salvageable. For me, at least, I start to think that maybe I can't do this. That I'll never get published. That if I'm not good enough to write that novel, what makes me think that I can write any novel?
It's not a good frame of mind to be in.
Now, sometimes the novel really isn't salvageable. I've had a couple of those myself. However, I've never completely thrown out a novel. I've never hated it so much that I've deleted it off of my computer, or shredded the paper copy. I keep everything I write, because I learn something with each project. If it wasn't for those failed novels, I doubt that I would have been able to write the two short stories that I love so much.
So I will rewrite the short story, and I will continue to try to find the gold under all the crap in my novels. Because, in the end, sometimes we have to trust what we were thinking in the moment, even if we don't quite get it afterward. Eventually we'll figure it out.
I've finished all of them now, each of them printed out and gone over. The first has been submitted. The last still needs the changes put into the computer (I edit on paper. Also, I realized that I had gone over the word count limit by more than 200 words and needed to take out words) The second one, though, has left me wanting more.
When I originally thought of this idea, I was excited by it. I thought it would be a great short story. My critique group would love it, and I could maybe expand on it at a later date. I couldn't wait to see how it turned out.
Well, it seems that it turned out a little underwhelming. I knew it was going to even as I was writing it. I still can't put my finger on what, specifically, is wrong with it. The main character annoys me. There doesn't seem to be any action when there should be lots of it, and the end just seems too easy for the antagonist.
I don't know how many of you have ever felt that. I know that I have. Even with my novels. It makes me want to shelf the entire thing and move on to better ideas that I'll be able to write better. That will be able to sell better. Anything to get away from the story that just isn't right.
With a short story, it's pretty easy to say it needs to be redone and throw the entire thing. The story was only about 3500 words. I know that I can write another one with no problem. I'm not even going to throw out the idea behind it, I'm just going to adapt it to a new way to look at that same idea. It shouldn't be too hard, and I'm hoping that it comes across better than the original did.
The novels, however, are another story altogether. We spend weeks, months or even years working on a single novel. They can be hundreds of thousands of words long. Throwing all of that in the garbage to start again is not only demotivating, it's also quite detrimental to us as writers.
I've always been a big believer of 'You can edit crap, you can't edit nothing.' As writers we have the ability to go back over work that we think is subpar and fix it. Make it into the very thing that we wanted it to be in the first place. Sure, that could include rewriting, adding or even straight out deleting scenes, but we're still working with the original content.
Throwing out an entire novel is like saying that we wasted all of that time. It's not salvageable. For me, at least, I start to think that maybe I can't do this. That I'll never get published. That if I'm not good enough to write that novel, what makes me think that I can write any novel?
It's not a good frame of mind to be in.
Now, sometimes the novel really isn't salvageable. I've had a couple of those myself. However, I've never completely thrown out a novel. I've never hated it so much that I've deleted it off of my computer, or shredded the paper copy. I keep everything I write, because I learn something with each project. If it wasn't for those failed novels, I doubt that I would have been able to write the two short stories that I love so much.
So I will rewrite the short story, and I will continue to try to find the gold under all the crap in my novels. Because, in the end, sometimes we have to trust what we were thinking in the moment, even if we don't quite get it afterward. Eventually we'll figure it out.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Stop and Smell the Roses
Today I heard a phrase I'm sure I've heard a thousand time in my life. Stop and Smell the roses. I don't think that anyone has specifically said it to me, but I've always known what people have meant by it. That you can't rush through life. Sometimes you have to take a break and make sure to enjoy the little things in life.
So when I heard the phrase today, I couldn't help but really stop and think about it. Mostly because, at the time, I was actually watching a show and procrastinating on my writing. (Well, rewriting. I do have an editing goal I need to try and keep as I have beta readers waiting for it.)
I've never really been the one to be busy all the time. However, in the last year I've found myself doing more and more things, and therefor finding my schedule getting more and more full. There are weeks when I almost never go home after work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love going out with my friends. I love my critique group and all the different things I've been doing since starting writing.
So now, for the first time in my life, I find myself actually able to appreciate the saying. I understand what it's like to get so caught up in everything that's been going on with my life that I forget to stop and see or appreciate all those little things. I've done it, where all I can think about is the stress of getting a book written, or edited and forget that I love this. I love creating a story, and there's nothing I want more than to share those stories with everyone else.
Of course, getting stressed means I start to feel overwhelmed. When that happens I tend to stop working on whatever it is I need to get done. Unfortunately that means I start smelling the roses a little too much. I just stop. I'll do pretty much anything to not work on the writing or editing that I have to do. Today that happened in the form of watching the first season of Dead Like Me.
I know how to stop and smell the roses. I do it all the time, even when I really shouldn't be. That doesn't mean that I disagree with the message of it. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life. How stressful everything is, or how much you have to do, every once in a while, you need to stop and take a deep breath. Look around and realize that life isn't always about that to do list. Sometimes it's about taking those thirty minutes you don't think you can spare to have a meal in the park while listening to the birds sing. Sometimes it's finding the time in a week to watch that show you absolutely adore, because it inspires you, or even just entertains you.
Sometimes it's not about doing something. Sometimes it's about not doing something.
Unfortunately for me, right now it has to be about doing something. The roses will be there when I'm done, though, and I'm looking forward to smelling them again.
So when I heard the phrase today, I couldn't help but really stop and think about it. Mostly because, at the time, I was actually watching a show and procrastinating on my writing. (Well, rewriting. I do have an editing goal I need to try and keep as I have beta readers waiting for it.)
I've never really been the one to be busy all the time. However, in the last year I've found myself doing more and more things, and therefor finding my schedule getting more and more full. There are weeks when I almost never go home after work. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I love going out with my friends. I love my critique group and all the different things I've been doing since starting writing.
So now, for the first time in my life, I find myself actually able to appreciate the saying. I understand what it's like to get so caught up in everything that's been going on with my life that I forget to stop and see or appreciate all those little things. I've done it, where all I can think about is the stress of getting a book written, or edited and forget that I love this. I love creating a story, and there's nothing I want more than to share those stories with everyone else.
Of course, getting stressed means I start to feel overwhelmed. When that happens I tend to stop working on whatever it is I need to get done. Unfortunately that means I start smelling the roses a little too much. I just stop. I'll do pretty much anything to not work on the writing or editing that I have to do. Today that happened in the form of watching the first season of Dead Like Me.
I know how to stop and smell the roses. I do it all the time, even when I really shouldn't be. That doesn't mean that I disagree with the message of it. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life. How stressful everything is, or how much you have to do, every once in a while, you need to stop and take a deep breath. Look around and realize that life isn't always about that to do list. Sometimes it's about taking those thirty minutes you don't think you can spare to have a meal in the park while listening to the birds sing. Sometimes it's finding the time in a week to watch that show you absolutely adore, because it inspires you, or even just entertains you.
Sometimes it's not about doing something. Sometimes it's about not doing something.
Unfortunately for me, right now it has to be about doing something. The roses will be there when I'm done, though, and I'm looking forward to smelling them again.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Being Productive
Normally I procrastinate so much that I don't get much done. Especially when I'm editing. I find it so hard to make myself actually want to start fixing and changing my story. You all know exactly how much I love editing, of course, and I am very good at making sure I do everything but the editing that I'm supposed to be doing.
In a conversation with a friend this week (one B. A. Matthews) I started expressing my frustration with the fact that I'm really not getting anywhere with my stories. That was when I realized something. I can't be frustrated with not going anywhere, because the reason I'm not is because of all the procrastinating I've been doing. It's not my manuscript's fault that I'm looking everywhere but at it. It's not my characters' fault when they're constantly shouting at me about what they want to happen in the next book, or the one after that. I can't write those stories, though, not when I'm not even done the first book.
No, there's only one person at fault in this whole scenario, and it's me.
I've been getting frustrated with myself. I claim to want to write for a living. To want to be a published author who is taken seriously and has a following, but how can I do that when I'm playing useless games on facebook instead of editing or writing? How can I say that I want fans, when I can't guarantee that I'll be able to focus enough on the story in front of me to get it past the first draft?
So I'm making a new promise tonight. I've done this before, I know. I've committed myself to my writing more times than I can really count, but I'm still going to do it again, and I'm hoping to actually stick with it.
My first promise: I am going to stop complaining about editing. Especially on my blog. I'm sure you're all as tired to hear it as I am to type it out. Because, let's face it, complaining about editing is really just another way to avoid doing it. And that's just a vicious cycle that I'll never be rid of if I let myself continue down that road.
My second promise: Get my manuscript out to beta readers by May 15th. I currently have 2 beta readers anxiously awaiting (at least in my head) the arrival of my manuscript. Having an actual due date, rather than an arbitrary goal, I'm hoping that I can actually do it. I'm also still looking for a third beta reader. If anyone's interested, please let me know.
My third promise: I'm going to go out of my way to try and find someway to like editing. It may never work, but I'm certainly going to try. I don't want to spend my entire life hating this part of writing, so I just have to look for that part of it that I like and latch onto it.
I'm hoping that I can keep these promises for longer than I've kept most of my previous ones (for the record, I have stuck with getting my blog posts up, but none of my editing/writing promises have been stuck to.)
Now it's time for me to start putting these promises into action.
In a conversation with a friend this week (one B. A. Matthews) I started expressing my frustration with the fact that I'm really not getting anywhere with my stories. That was when I realized something. I can't be frustrated with not going anywhere, because the reason I'm not is because of all the procrastinating I've been doing. It's not my manuscript's fault that I'm looking everywhere but at it. It's not my characters' fault when they're constantly shouting at me about what they want to happen in the next book, or the one after that. I can't write those stories, though, not when I'm not even done the first book.
No, there's only one person at fault in this whole scenario, and it's me.
I've been getting frustrated with myself. I claim to want to write for a living. To want to be a published author who is taken seriously and has a following, but how can I do that when I'm playing useless games on facebook instead of editing or writing? How can I say that I want fans, when I can't guarantee that I'll be able to focus enough on the story in front of me to get it past the first draft?
So I'm making a new promise tonight. I've done this before, I know. I've committed myself to my writing more times than I can really count, but I'm still going to do it again, and I'm hoping to actually stick with it.
My first promise: I am going to stop complaining about editing. Especially on my blog. I'm sure you're all as tired to hear it as I am to type it out. Because, let's face it, complaining about editing is really just another way to avoid doing it. And that's just a vicious cycle that I'll never be rid of if I let myself continue down that road.
My second promise: Get my manuscript out to beta readers by May 15th. I currently have 2 beta readers anxiously awaiting (at least in my head) the arrival of my manuscript. Having an actual due date, rather than an arbitrary goal, I'm hoping that I can actually do it. I'm also still looking for a third beta reader. If anyone's interested, please let me know.
My third promise: I'm going to go out of my way to try and find someway to like editing. It may never work, but I'm certainly going to try. I don't want to spend my entire life hating this part of writing, so I just have to look for that part of it that I like and latch onto it.
I'm hoping that I can keep these promises for longer than I've kept most of my previous ones (for the record, I have stuck with getting my blog posts up, but none of my editing/writing promises have been stuck to.)
Now it's time for me to start putting these promises into action.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Time To Prioritize
I have never been someone that can have just one project going at a time. I get bored with it and start wondering off to do other things, such as reading or catching up on tv shows. (The fact that I do these things even when I have multiple projects on the go is completely besides the point...)
Anyway, I currently have about 6 projects on the go, each at a different stage of the writing/editing process. I have my Dangerous Waters, a fantasy novel that I wrote last year and didn't look at for a few months until we started critique group. I've also written the second novel, Changing Tides but as I haven't finished the edits on the first one, you can bet that I haven't even so much as glanced at the second one. Considering how many chapters I'm having to rewrite, or just add altogether, I'm actually a little afraid to find out how bad the second one is.
I have The Commons, a YA dystopian that is set in a world where more than three quarters of the population was wiped out in the fourth world war. The remaining people have separated into two societies. The Commons and The Techs. This novel is the one that I finished and thought 'I'm going to get this published.' I have absolute confidence in it and can't wait to test the waters and see what agents and publishers think of it. I currently have it going through critique group.
Wolf's Blood is an urban fantasy that I started writing with a friend some time last year. Unfortunately, we're both quite busy, so we've only managed to write a whole 5 chapters, but as we're still talking to each other I'm counting it as a success.
Since November I've had this idea for a book bouncing around in my head. It's about a werewolf assassin, and her name is Jayne Pheare (That's her real name, don't know her assassin name yet.) The book itself is, unfortunately, untitled. I have lots of work to do on it, as I'm still in the planning stages for this novel (including working out a brand new city for it with the help of my dear friend Eric) I'm very excited for this novel, but I just haven't had time to sit down and really connect with Jayne. (I have to say, she's being very patient. She only got annoyed that one time when I pulled out a brand new character and started paying attention to her...)
I also have two more collaborations in the works, but both are untitled and in the planning stages with only the bare bones placed, and not even nailed down yet.
This past week, though, I've had some time to think about these projects, and the priority I've been giving each. (This 'time' has been while at work, or travelling back and forth between different social engagements...not actual time that I had to sit down and plan or edit. Trust me, that's what I would have been doing if it was.)
Much as I love Dangerous Waters, lately I've been finding it harder and harder to concentrate on it. In fact, on more than one occasion, I've actually considered shelving it indefinitely. That there was just too much work that needed to be done on it to conceivably finish the series, and it's time to move onto greener pastures. I don't actually want to do that, though. I love the series, and I do think that it has some serious potential. But I've been so frustrated with it, I can no longer see the potential, all I see is a pile of crap that needs be thrown out.
In order to keep myself from doing that very thing, I decided that it's time to re-prioritize my writing projects. Instead of throwing two full manuscripts in the trash and walking away, I've decided that they should be shelved only for a little while. This will (hopefully) give me enough of a break from the project to clear my head and allow me to see what needs to be done without wanting to bang my head on a desk. Repeatedly.
Unfortunately, this leaves me with nothing to be working on so I can send out some queries, come May. In order to fill that, I've decided to pull The Commons from the critique group. This book is one that I'm actually quite excited about. I can see it on the shelves for sale, and I want it to get it out there. I'm hopeful that this is the right move, and I can't wait to finish editing the rest of the novel so I can start working on those queries.
That, of course, leaves me with an opening on what I'm sending into critique group. So I've decided that for the next month or so I'm going to have a strong focus on my Jayne Pheare book. (I can get a first draft written in about 10 days, but I have to have it completely plotted out, which takes quite a bit of work.)
As for my collaborations, those will stay the same. I can't just sit down and work on them all day, so I will do what I can when I can, as I have been doing thus far. I just hope that my next chapter for Wolf's Blood doesn't take me 4 months again...
Now I just need to get my critiques done so I can get on top of this planning. The goal is to have Jayne Pheare written in full by the end of march so I can get started on some serious edits for The Commons. Let's hope this works, because this is the Epic Year of Querying, and I need to start getting some work out to agents and publishers!
Anyway, I currently have about 6 projects on the go, each at a different stage of the writing/editing process. I have my Dangerous Waters, a fantasy novel that I wrote last year and didn't look at for a few months until we started critique group. I've also written the second novel, Changing Tides but as I haven't finished the edits on the first one, you can bet that I haven't even so much as glanced at the second one. Considering how many chapters I'm having to rewrite, or just add altogether, I'm actually a little afraid to find out how bad the second one is.
I have The Commons, a YA dystopian that is set in a world where more than three quarters of the population was wiped out in the fourth world war. The remaining people have separated into two societies. The Commons and The Techs. This novel is the one that I finished and thought 'I'm going to get this published.' I have absolute confidence in it and can't wait to test the waters and see what agents and publishers think of it. I currently have it going through critique group.
Wolf's Blood is an urban fantasy that I started writing with a friend some time last year. Unfortunately, we're both quite busy, so we've only managed to write a whole 5 chapters, but as we're still talking to each other I'm counting it as a success.
Since November I've had this idea for a book bouncing around in my head. It's about a werewolf assassin, and her name is Jayne Pheare (That's her real name, don't know her assassin name yet.) The book itself is, unfortunately, untitled. I have lots of work to do on it, as I'm still in the planning stages for this novel (including working out a brand new city for it with the help of my dear friend Eric) I'm very excited for this novel, but I just haven't had time to sit down and really connect with Jayne. (I have to say, she's being very patient. She only got annoyed that one time when I pulled out a brand new character and started paying attention to her...)
I also have two more collaborations in the works, but both are untitled and in the planning stages with only the bare bones placed, and not even nailed down yet.
This past week, though, I've had some time to think about these projects, and the priority I've been giving each. (This 'time' has been while at work, or travelling back and forth between different social engagements...not actual time that I had to sit down and plan or edit. Trust me, that's what I would have been doing if it was.)
Much as I love Dangerous Waters, lately I've been finding it harder and harder to concentrate on it. In fact, on more than one occasion, I've actually considered shelving it indefinitely. That there was just too much work that needed to be done on it to conceivably finish the series, and it's time to move onto greener pastures. I don't actually want to do that, though. I love the series, and I do think that it has some serious potential. But I've been so frustrated with it, I can no longer see the potential, all I see is a pile of crap that needs be thrown out.
In order to keep myself from doing that very thing, I decided that it's time to re-prioritize my writing projects. Instead of throwing two full manuscripts in the trash and walking away, I've decided that they should be shelved only for a little while. This will (hopefully) give me enough of a break from the project to clear my head and allow me to see what needs to be done without wanting to bang my head on a desk. Repeatedly.
Unfortunately, this leaves me with nothing to be working on so I can send out some queries, come May. In order to fill that, I've decided to pull The Commons from the critique group. This book is one that I'm actually quite excited about. I can see it on the shelves for sale, and I want it to get it out there. I'm hopeful that this is the right move, and I can't wait to finish editing the rest of the novel so I can start working on those queries.
That, of course, leaves me with an opening on what I'm sending into critique group. So I've decided that for the next month or so I'm going to have a strong focus on my Jayne Pheare book. (I can get a first draft written in about 10 days, but I have to have it completely plotted out, which takes quite a bit of work.)
As for my collaborations, those will stay the same. I can't just sit down and work on them all day, so I will do what I can when I can, as I have been doing thus far. I just hope that my next chapter for Wolf's Blood doesn't take me 4 months again...
Now I just need to get my critiques done so I can get on top of this planning. The goal is to have Jayne Pheare written in full by the end of march so I can get started on some serious edits for The Commons. Let's hope this works, because this is the Epic Year of Querying, and I need to start getting some work out to agents and publishers!
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Definition of Insanity
So, last week I set a goal for myself. I wanted to finish three chapters of rewrites/new chapters. I didn't have as much free time as I though I would, and I found myself procrastinating (as I always do). Still, I was able to tell myself that I would be able to get it done on Sunday. It was only three chapters, after all. It would have been better to get some of it done before hand, but I have written that much in a single day before, so I didn't foresee myself having a problem doing it.
I don't know if any of you know this, but one definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. I've always joked that, if this is true, then working in retail must be insane.
Yesterday I sat down all ready to do my edits. I opened the document and even started writing. I was going to get this chapter done in record time and move onto the next, because I was determined to finish the goal I set for myself. It was definitely going to happen.
I managed to make it to about five paragraphs in before I started having trouble. The words weren't flowing, and it was quickly becoming apparent that this chapter wasn't any better than the one I had just decided to rewrite. In fact, I was leaning toward it actually being worse, which definitely isn't a good thing when the whole point of rewriting is to make it better.
So I scrapped those five chapters, thinking that I could do better.
Again I managed to make it to about five paragraphs in, and again it just wasn't working, no matter what I did. The description sucked. The dialogue was utter crap, and don't even get me started on the voice. Nothing was working!
But I was determined. Those three chapters were in my sight, and I really wanted to get it all done. No, not wanted, I was going to get them done.
Once more I got started on the chapter, throwing what I had already written away and struggling through those paragraphs, trying to make them what I wanted them to be. Trying to force out the words that just weren't coming as easily as they should be.
It was around this time that I ended up getting some not so great news and was starting to feel annoyed and frustrated. I can barely get anything done when I'm in a good mood, but the way I was feeling, there was no way that editing was going to be finished.
It took a while, but I managed to get myself out of the bad mood and willing to look at the chapter without fear of ruining it completely, and that was when it hit me. There was a reason the chapter wasn't working. One that I might not have noticed if I hadn't taken that mental step back and let myself look at it with fresh eyes.
I was trying to write it from the wrong character's POV. I had originally chosen one of the characters, and when it came to rewriting, I thought I might as well stick with her. After all, I must have had a reason for why I originally chose her, right? I couldn't quite remember what that was, but I assumed that I hadn't simply picked a name out of a hat.
At this point, I still don't remember what made me chose her to begin with, but I do know what fixed the problem that I was having with the chapter. I changed the POV.
It was that simple. All of a sudden everything was working better. The words were flowing (not as well as when I write a first draft, but well enough). I didn't feel like everything that I was writing was worse than the first time around. In fact, I was pretty sure that it was better. Much better.
I only managed to get about 1000 words written, but as those words were all written some time after ten, I'm actually alright with that number. Happy with them, even. And excited that I no longer feel so bloody stuck on a chapter that I'm never going to finish.
Now, of course, I just have to finish the chapter, and move onto the next. Maybe even remind myself that I need to take a step back when I'm doing rewrites. I can't be as close to the action as I can be when I'm writing a first draft. I have to look at the writing with a much more impartial eye. I can't allow my feelings for the characters, or what I have originally written, to blind me to the flaws in my writing.
I probably won't finish this chapter tonight, and I don't know how much time I'll have to edit this week, but I'm going to set the same goal I set for myself last week. To finish the next three chapters. A week late, but better than it never getting done, right?
I don't know if any of you know this, but one definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. I've always joked that, if this is true, then working in retail must be insane.
Yesterday I sat down all ready to do my edits. I opened the document and even started writing. I was going to get this chapter done in record time and move onto the next, because I was determined to finish the goal I set for myself. It was definitely going to happen.
I managed to make it to about five paragraphs in before I started having trouble. The words weren't flowing, and it was quickly becoming apparent that this chapter wasn't any better than the one I had just decided to rewrite. In fact, I was leaning toward it actually being worse, which definitely isn't a good thing when the whole point of rewriting is to make it better.
So I scrapped those five chapters, thinking that I could do better.
Again I managed to make it to about five paragraphs in, and again it just wasn't working, no matter what I did. The description sucked. The dialogue was utter crap, and don't even get me started on the voice. Nothing was working!
But I was determined. Those three chapters were in my sight, and I really wanted to get it all done. No, not wanted, I was going to get them done.
Once more I got started on the chapter, throwing what I had already written away and struggling through those paragraphs, trying to make them what I wanted them to be. Trying to force out the words that just weren't coming as easily as they should be.
It was around this time that I ended up getting some not so great news and was starting to feel annoyed and frustrated. I can barely get anything done when I'm in a good mood, but the way I was feeling, there was no way that editing was going to be finished.
It took a while, but I managed to get myself out of the bad mood and willing to look at the chapter without fear of ruining it completely, and that was when it hit me. There was a reason the chapter wasn't working. One that I might not have noticed if I hadn't taken that mental step back and let myself look at it with fresh eyes.
I was trying to write it from the wrong character's POV. I had originally chosen one of the characters, and when it came to rewriting, I thought I might as well stick with her. After all, I must have had a reason for why I originally chose her, right? I couldn't quite remember what that was, but I assumed that I hadn't simply picked a name out of a hat.
At this point, I still don't remember what made me chose her to begin with, but I do know what fixed the problem that I was having with the chapter. I changed the POV.
It was that simple. All of a sudden everything was working better. The words were flowing (not as well as when I write a first draft, but well enough). I didn't feel like everything that I was writing was worse than the first time around. In fact, I was pretty sure that it was better. Much better.
I only managed to get about 1000 words written, but as those words were all written some time after ten, I'm actually alright with that number. Happy with them, even. And excited that I no longer feel so bloody stuck on a chapter that I'm never going to finish.
Now, of course, I just have to finish the chapter, and move onto the next. Maybe even remind myself that I need to take a step back when I'm doing rewrites. I can't be as close to the action as I can be when I'm writing a first draft. I have to look at the writing with a much more impartial eye. I can't allow my feelings for the characters, or what I have originally written, to blind me to the flaws in my writing.
I probably won't finish this chapter tonight, and I don't know how much time I'll have to edit this week, but I'm going to set the same goal I set for myself last week. To finish the next three chapters. A week late, but better than it never getting done, right?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
One Step Forward, But Standing Still
Today I finished the editing for my next critique group submission. I wanted to get it done yesterday, but it seems I have become better at procrastination than I originally thought. So, I decided to be happy with finishing today, as well as getting this blog post done.
Anyway, the point of the matter is that I finished the next two chapters, and I was happy that I finished it so early in the week, even if it was a day later than I was actually hoping for. I was ahead of the game.
Unfortunately then I made the mistake of looking at my Dangerous Waters manuscript. That's the one I'm trying to get through right now. That's the one I want to have polished and ready by the end of April. That's the one I want to query and get published. It's the one I've put the most work into.
Sadly, it's also the one that still needs the most work.
A couple of weeks ago I went through the chapters I had left to edit and picked through the ones that (obviously) needed rewrites, and the ones I could try and edit. I also figured out how many chapters I would have to add in order to fix the many mistakes I made while writing the novel. (While it wasn't one of my nano novels, I still wrote it fairly quickly, and as it was one of my early novels, I didn't have the plot nailed down nearly as much as I thought when I started writing it).
Thirteen. That's the number of chapters that need to be rewritten or added altogether. I only had about twenty left to edit, so that's a fair amount.
This leaves me with a bit of a problem. All of that work certainly doesn't make me want to actually do the editing. It probably would have been better if I hadn't gone through and figured out what needed to be done. Yet I can't regret it because I've always been a planner. I actually spend more time planning them than I do writing them. So not knowing how much I was going to have to change was bothering me enough that I felt I had to do it, and I did.
Being at a stand still with Dangerous Waters, however, means more than that one novel never being finished. In fact, not finishing that novel means that all the other projects I have on the go (refer to the Progress Report section) are also not getting worked on or completed.
Sometimes I tend to get myself in over my head. For example, during nano I decided to write 200,000 words. But about five days in I changed that to 300,000 words. Most of the month I was overwhelmed and thought I wouldn't finish. I did. Just barely, but I did. Now I have all of this work, and I'm feeling overwhelmed, but for some reason I'm not really moving forward. I can get done what I need to get done for my critique group, but other than that, I'm not making any progress.
It doesn't matter that I really want to finish this novel. That I want to have it, done and complete, in my hands, and ready to send out to agents and publishers. I want to feel like I've accomplished something.
I guess I'll just have to suck it up and get down to it. Starting tomorrow (and everyday for at least a little while until Monday) I'm going to continue editing Dangerous Waters. I have a goal to finish the next three chapters by the end of Sunday. (In case you were wondering, the next three chapters are ALL rewrites, so it's going to be harder than it sounds.)
Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes in my next post, also scheduled Sunday. Till then, happy editing!
Anyway, the point of the matter is that I finished the next two chapters, and I was happy that I finished it so early in the week, even if it was a day later than I was actually hoping for. I was ahead of the game.
Unfortunately then I made the mistake of looking at my Dangerous Waters manuscript. That's the one I'm trying to get through right now. That's the one I want to have polished and ready by the end of April. That's the one I want to query and get published. It's the one I've put the most work into.
Sadly, it's also the one that still needs the most work.
A couple of weeks ago I went through the chapters I had left to edit and picked through the ones that (obviously) needed rewrites, and the ones I could try and edit. I also figured out how many chapters I would have to add in order to fix the many mistakes I made while writing the novel. (While it wasn't one of my nano novels, I still wrote it fairly quickly, and as it was one of my early novels, I didn't have the plot nailed down nearly as much as I thought when I started writing it).
Thirteen. That's the number of chapters that need to be rewritten or added altogether. I only had about twenty left to edit, so that's a fair amount.
This leaves me with a bit of a problem. All of that work certainly doesn't make me want to actually do the editing. It probably would have been better if I hadn't gone through and figured out what needed to be done. Yet I can't regret it because I've always been a planner. I actually spend more time planning them than I do writing them. So not knowing how much I was going to have to change was bothering me enough that I felt I had to do it, and I did.
Being at a stand still with Dangerous Waters, however, means more than that one novel never being finished. In fact, not finishing that novel means that all the other projects I have on the go (refer to the Progress Report section) are also not getting worked on or completed.
Sometimes I tend to get myself in over my head. For example, during nano I decided to write 200,000 words. But about five days in I changed that to 300,000 words. Most of the month I was overwhelmed and thought I wouldn't finish. I did. Just barely, but I did. Now I have all of this work, and I'm feeling overwhelmed, but for some reason I'm not really moving forward. I can get done what I need to get done for my critique group, but other than that, I'm not making any progress.
It doesn't matter that I really want to finish this novel. That I want to have it, done and complete, in my hands, and ready to send out to agents and publishers. I want to feel like I've accomplished something.
I guess I'll just have to suck it up and get down to it. Starting tomorrow (and everyday for at least a little while until Monday) I'm going to continue editing Dangerous Waters. I have a goal to finish the next three chapters by the end of Sunday. (In case you were wondering, the next three chapters are ALL rewrites, so it's going to be harder than it sounds.)
Don't worry, I'll let you know how it goes in my next post, also scheduled Sunday. Till then, happy editing!
Monday, January 9, 2012
A Snag In Editing
Before I start this week's post, there were a few things I wanted to say. First and foremost, I would like to point out that there are now six writers participating in the Epic Year of Querying. You can get to any of their blogs from the side bar, as well as find the link to get to more information about it. I'm very excited to see what this year brings, and how we will all do on this challenge. Of course, it goes without saying, any other writers who wish to join in the fun can, just give me a link to whatever site (be it blog/twitter profile/website, whatever you wish) and how many queries you have sent out since Jan. 1, 2012, and I will gladly add you to the list. You can also follow the fun on twitter using the hashtag #YEQ2012.
Second, there will be an extra special post going up on Wednesday of this week. I'm not going to give away any details (cause it's a surprise) but make sure you look out for it. I'm excited to see this blog becoming something other than me talking to myself, and this is just one of many such things I'm hoping will happen this year.
Alright, onto the post. So, I was editing today. I planned on getting about three chapters done so I could catch up with my goal. It was something I knew I was going to have to do, because I spent all day yesterday doing things like getting my hair cut and hanging out with friends. So when I finally got around to it today (instead of working on my blog like I wanted to) I sat down ready to edit.
I'll admit that I may not have been as anxious to edit as I could have been. In fact, I was rather reluctant to start. I may not have been editing as fast as I could have, and I kept getting distracted, but that's besides the point.
The fact of the matter is that after all of that, I got through half of the chapter and realized just how much I was changing, and how unhappy I was with what was left. After all of that I ended up throwing the chapter out completely and starting over.
With that realization, however, came the certainty that I had hit the point in my book where I knew I was going to have to do some major overhauling. See, I had already come to the conclusion that I had to change quite a few things in the second half of the book. I hadn't written a very important scene, and that scene couldn't be written the way the book was already done. So I knew that there was going to come a point where I would have to start rewrites.
Unfortunately this point came a lot earlier than I had thought it would. In fact, I had been hoping that I would make it at least another five or six chapters before I would have to start completely changing what was written.
Alas, I cannot change what I have come to realize must happen. Well, I suppose I could, but then the book just wouldn't be as could as it could be, and I definitely don't want that. This is the book I want to get published. The one that I already have half of out with beta readers. The one that I have already gotten a second round of beta readers for. I can't just not fix it. This is my baby we're talking about. I want it to be all it can be.
So, while editing is my least favorite part of writing (and yes, I will continue to complain bitterly about it for the rest of the time that I'm doing it) I will continue to do it. Because, you see, I love my work, and I don't intend to let it be less than what it could be only because I don't want to do the editing.
Now I've gone through the rest of the book and have decided which chapters I need to rewrite, and which ones just need editing. I've also decided what I need to add to make the story complete. I now have a clear idea of what I need to do to make this book ready for my beta readers. On one hand this gives me a sense of relief. I know what I'm doing now, and I don't feel so much like I'm stumbling around in the dark. On the other hand, rewriting is somehow so much more work than editing.
Wish me luck, because in the next month (okay...maybe two) I plan to whip this novel into shape. Even if that means rewriting half of it.
Second, there will be an extra special post going up on Wednesday of this week. I'm not going to give away any details (cause it's a surprise) but make sure you look out for it. I'm excited to see this blog becoming something other than me talking to myself, and this is just one of many such things I'm hoping will happen this year.
Alright, onto the post. So, I was editing today. I planned on getting about three chapters done so I could catch up with my goal. It was something I knew I was going to have to do, because I spent all day yesterday doing things like getting my hair cut and hanging out with friends. So when I finally got around to it today (instead of working on my blog like I wanted to) I sat down ready to edit.
I'll admit that I may not have been as anxious to edit as I could have been. In fact, I was rather reluctant to start. I may not have been editing as fast as I could have, and I kept getting distracted, but that's besides the point.
The fact of the matter is that after all of that, I got through half of the chapter and realized just how much I was changing, and how unhappy I was with what was left. After all of that I ended up throwing the chapter out completely and starting over.
With that realization, however, came the certainty that I had hit the point in my book where I knew I was going to have to do some major overhauling. See, I had already come to the conclusion that I had to change quite a few things in the second half of the book. I hadn't written a very important scene, and that scene couldn't be written the way the book was already done. So I knew that there was going to come a point where I would have to start rewrites.
Unfortunately this point came a lot earlier than I had thought it would. In fact, I had been hoping that I would make it at least another five or six chapters before I would have to start completely changing what was written.
Alas, I cannot change what I have come to realize must happen. Well, I suppose I could, but then the book just wouldn't be as could as it could be, and I definitely don't want that. This is the book I want to get published. The one that I already have half of out with beta readers. The one that I have already gotten a second round of beta readers for. I can't just not fix it. This is my baby we're talking about. I want it to be all it can be.
So, while editing is my least favorite part of writing (and yes, I will continue to complain bitterly about it for the rest of the time that I'm doing it) I will continue to do it. Because, you see, I love my work, and I don't intend to let it be less than what it could be only because I don't want to do the editing.
Now I've gone through the rest of the book and have decided which chapters I need to rewrite, and which ones just need editing. I've also decided what I need to add to make the story complete. I now have a clear idea of what I need to do to make this book ready for my beta readers. On one hand this gives me a sense of relief. I know what I'm doing now, and I don't feel so much like I'm stumbling around in the dark. On the other hand, rewriting is somehow so much more work than editing.
Wish me luck, because in the next month (okay...maybe two) I plan to whip this novel into shape. Even if that means rewriting half of it.
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