Editing...groan

Abso-blooming-lutely. But it could be good. It could mean that you have clarity of vision about your work and that this is an opportunity to improve it beyond all recognition.

On the other hand, it could mean you're too close. There are times when we all get sick of the sound of our own voice - and the same holds true for our own writing. If that is the problem (and if you've only just finished your ms, then it's likely) you'd probably do better to put it in a drawer and just catch up on your other reading for a week or two, until you get your perspective back.

Each time I do a revision, my manuscript gets smaller. I was thinking earlier that if I keep revising, I'll have nothing left!

Okay, I'm exaggerating--I'll still have something left.

If it's any comfort, in Stein on Writing, Stein says there's only ever been one author in his career who was always asked to add more. Every other author he's edited has been asked to chop something out to make the work stronger.

clotje said:

I've started to cross out whole paragraphs and I fear if I continue this trent I'll be left with a short story. LOL

Please tell me that all of you go through the same process...

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Absolutely. I've deleted entire chapters before. But I often find new stuff to add in and plot lines or characters I can expand upon, too. In the end I always have more than I started with but I tend to write my first drafts pretty lean.

It's good that you've given yourself a lot of time and distance before going back to edit this ms, and the fact that you can see the flaws is fantastic. Many writers can't be that objective about their own work. But also know that the first completed ms for a lot of writers is a practice one. It certainly was for me. It wasn't wasted time or effort -- I learned a heckuva lot with that first ms, including the simple fact that I could complete a novel. Prior to that I had started and abandoned a half dozen others.

Beth

I wrote my current novel 3 times from scratch, and revised the 3rd draft 3 times (so far). I think I have maybe 6 sentences from the first draft that I liked well enough to keep through all the drafts and revisions! Some sentences, paragraphs and scenes turned out pretty well on the third draft, some had to be completely rewritten (so there are parts of my novel that have been rewritten more than 3 times), and the rest were somewhere in between: in need of heavy revisions and edits, but they more or less fit the story.

My first draft stank so bad, I had to put it in a dumpster down the street.

I wish I could remember who first turned me on to Holly Lisle's site, especially this page, but whoever you are, thanks.



Don't feel bad.

Quick, who said this (paraphrase)?

Books are not written; they're re-written.

You, just now?

clotje said:

And I'm shocked at how crap it is.

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Don't worry about slashing and burning your prose. For my WIP (for which I'm writing query letters now), I ended up xing out about a third of the book completely and rewriting from scratch. For the rest of the book, I think eveyr page had at least one paragraph xed out.

Also, if you're anything like me, you'll go through a rollar-coaster with your assessment of the quality of your work. When I am writing something, I'm firmly convinced that I'm producing classic literature. Then, when I finish and look back at it, I think it's utter drek and I should hang myself quickly before I produce anything worse. And then, about the third time I come to look at it, I start to get a realistic idea of how good it is.

Anyway, my 2c.

Yep, I get Shrinking Manuscript Syndrome too, especially in the 1st half of my WIP.:Cheers:

Comfort yourself:

• You can get some of the wordage back by stretching some of the conflicts
• The real novel is the virtual one to which the words merely point
• Revising sucks, but it's better to be revising than struggling to complete the 1st draft

I love editing.




I'm serious in fact. Editing is the means by which we recognize that the creative process is one of evolution and quality judgments.





And this is good.





Trust me.






Os.

"I've just finished my second MSS and I've started editing / rewriting of my first MSS. And I'm shocked at how crap it is."

Absolutely correct. Now consider the following:

1) When I got to the fourth book, the first AND second looked like crap. The third was OK, but will no doubt look like crap when I'm on number 5.

2) When I write a book, it's generally the best I can do NOW. Assuming I learn something with each one it's no wonder earlier books look like junk.

3) It's not a good idea to stick your first book in the mail to agents/publishers as soon as it's done. Write two more (they don't have to be part of a series, you're gaining experience here), then go back and fix up the first. Once you're happy with that one, start submitting and edit the other two while you wait for responses. (To while away time and keep myself motivated, I self-published the books, keeping to very small print runs so I could update them as necessary.)

That was the course I decided on a few years ago, and I signed a three-book contract last week. I wasn't even trying to find a 'real' publisher, they found me.

I'm not saying the above would suit every writer's temperament, in fact I can guarantee it won't. If you're not that committed, use a similar plan on short fiction first ;-)

Cheers
Simon

I write three to four pages and go back and relentlessly tear it to shreds so I don't have to do major surgery when it's done. Since I write very lean, I have to often return to the script and pad the dang thing. No kidding. I think that means my writing is a little rushed, so I'm beginning to slow down a bit.

Tri