Several Things
Aug. 29th, 2007 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cathschaffstumpHow do you revise, oh fellow writers? I find when I work on a long term project, I draft and then go back to the beginning and add things in, and then draft some more, and then return to the beginning and add things in, and so on, until eventually I reach the end of the novel. It's sort of like combing the beach and looking for shells, and then revisiting what you've combed to see if other shells are left.
That said, I hit my 81,000 word mark, and now I've returned to the beginning. I've sharpened up the first 3 chapters. Chapter 4 will need some major tunage, because there are several brand new bits in 4. We'll progress right back up to where I stopped in chapter 7, and then begin again. I can say, with confidence now, that the first 3 chapters of Substance cohere well, and are in the shape I want them to be in.
Word count?
And now, something narcissistic. Do you read your stuff again, and find it evokes you emotionally? One of the reasons I'm so hooked on writing is that I live my scenes. As I was working through the prologue, chapter one, and chapter two, I found a lot to like: fresh language, good story telling, and interesting characters. What I didn't expect was to be so moved during chapter one, which is a hard chapter to take, emotionally. My heart goes out to Stephan especially as I write about what's happening to him. I truly hope my readers have the same reaction, and they can forgive me for what I do to the poor boy in the book. I hope he can forgive me too.
I wonder how you feel about your characters. I hear some authors see their characters more like chess pieces. I think I'm too much of a method actress to be able to.
Honestly, if I get to work, and have a spare moment, I will post some snippets. Those of you who want snippets will have to resort to writing my boss and asking the college to back off. Whoops! Other life leakage! Nipping that in the bud...
See you tomorrow night.
Catherine
That said, I hit my 81,000 word mark, and now I've returned to the beginning. I've sharpened up the first 3 chapters. Chapter 4 will need some major tunage, because there are several brand new bits in 4. We'll progress right back up to where I stopped in chapter 7, and then begin again. I can say, with confidence now, that the first 3 chapters of Substance cohere well, and are in the shape I want them to be in.
Word count?
| |
82,130 / 100,000 (82.1%) |
And now, something narcissistic. Do you read your stuff again, and find it evokes you emotionally? One of the reasons I'm so hooked on writing is that I live my scenes. As I was working through the prologue, chapter one, and chapter two, I found a lot to like: fresh language, good story telling, and interesting characters. What I didn't expect was to be so moved during chapter one, which is a hard chapter to take, emotionally. My heart goes out to Stephan especially as I write about what's happening to him. I truly hope my readers have the same reaction, and they can forgive me for what I do to the poor boy in the book. I hope he can forgive me too.
I wonder how you feel about your characters. I hear some authors see their characters more like chess pieces. I think I'm too much of a method actress to be able to.
Honestly, if I get to work, and have a spare moment, I will post some snippets. Those of you who want snippets will have to resort to writing my boss and asking the college to back off. Whoops! Other life leakage! Nipping that in the bud...
See you tomorrow night.
Catherine
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Date: 2007-08-30 11:57 am (UTC)Trying to read out loud to my writing group is so embarrassing! The other ladies can read the most sad and terrible things, and just read clearly and solidly, and they don't turn red or get overly shiny eyes or a husky voice.
I just have a mushy heart, I think, and bring tissues to writing group. :) They, on the other hand, are stones, I tell ya; stones!
Good going with your rewriting! Mostly, with short stories, I rewrite the whole thing, several times. I think I focus on different things each time, but it helps to work in layers and new things.
Novels, I don't know yet. This is my first full rough draft. I plan to just rewrite it, though, during the next Ni90 onslaught :) After that, I'll hopefully have something that's got something to it. Like a coherent story. And real characters with names. And some reason to exist. You know; little things that mean so much ;-)