I'm sorry for posting two new topics in one day... How do you do your second draft?

lucidzfl · Jul 17, 2009

When you write a second draft, do you have your full first draft, printed out, red inked, and you re-type it from scratch while looking at it?

Do you retype from scratch without even looking at it?

Do you take your red inked papers and simply edit the previous draft on the computer?

As I said, sorry for abusing the board, but I wanted this to have its own topic.

scarletpeaches · Jul 17, 2009

No abuse at all. That's what we're here for.

This is what I'm going through as we speak.

What I've done is printed out the first 200 pages of my first draft because they're the most messy.

I read through them and tried to decide how to play it and ended up making notes like "Chapter One = 1,3. Delete 2," and "Chapter Two = 4,5."

So I'm smooshing first draft chapters together, dropping others, editing still more.

Once I get past these 200 pages I'll make notes on my print out and edit on screen as opposed to typing everything out from scratch (albeit from mark-ups on my first draft) as I am now. Everything after the first 200 pages is tidier and the characters make more sense so I can afford to edit on the computer.

I hope that makes sense.

YAwriter72 · Jul 17, 2009

I fast draft. Go back over and fix any obvious stuff. Print a hardcopy and ignore the electronic version until I get through hard edits totally. Make all changes/edits on computer draft, send to my beta, incorporate comments, send to agent for review.

KTC · Jul 17, 2009

second draft, same as the first...I am Henry the eighth I am.

Sorry. Just wanted to do that. (-;

I edit my first draft.

CaroGirl · Jul 17, 2009

If I believe my first draft has structural problems, I print it out so I can see the layout and more easily move pieces around, with scissors and tape if necessary. If the structure seems solid to me, I edit the first draft straight on the computer. I prefer that option because it's less expensive and less wasteful.

YAwriter72 · Jul 17, 2009

CaroGirl said:
If I believe my first draft has structural problems, I print it out so I can see the layout and more easily move pieces around, with scissors and tape if necessary. If the structure seems solid to me, I edit the first draft straight on the computer. I prefer that option because it's less expensive and less wasteful.

I WISH I could do that. My eyes slip right over things on the computer screen. I catch so many little things on my hardcopy.

Kathleen42 · Jul 17, 2009

lucidzfl said:
Do you take your red inked papers and simply edit the previous draft on the computer?

This. I can't imagine retyping. I'd probably end up with more typos than I started with.

Kathleen42 · Jul 17, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
I WISH I could do that. My eyes slip right over things on the computer screen. I catch so many little things on my hardcopy.

I have a harder time concentrating on what I read on the computer. Don't know why.

Wark · Jul 17, 2009

I'm calling my second draft me rewrite, but I have notes like "He wouldn't know that yet" or "describe emaciated." I go through and might rewrite eight paragraphs in a row. Or just move something. Definately take out 'that' and 'was' when possible.

Next will be buy a laser printer or stay late at work and print the first hundred or so pages. At its current 100k, which I'm supposed to be shrinking, it would take 400 pages.

I think next week, if I wait after 2 pm, I can print out 100 pages without The Powers-That-Be noticing. I wonder if the printer can tell me how many pages are in it, so it doesn't stall halfway through and then print 30 pages of my ms when the secretary loads it back up on Monday. [No one is allowed to touch it except her.]

Kathleen42 · Jul 17, 2009

Wark said:
[No one is allowed to touch it except her.]

That's just not right! Don't all employers realize how much we need their printers to run copies of resumes and cover letters and manuscripts?

Not that *ahem* I've ever done such a thing. *ahem*

YAwriter72 · Jul 17, 2009

A trick I use for hardcopy edits, I shrink margin to .25, use single spacing and use TNR10. It cuts my page count in half.

YAwriter72 · Jul 17, 2009

Kathleen42 said:
That's just not right! Don't all employers realize how much we need their printers to run copies of resumes and cover letters and manuscripts?

Not that *ahem* I've ever done such a thing. *ahem*

yeah, me either *cough*

Kathleen42 · Jul 17, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
A trick I use for hardcopy edits, I shrink margin to .25, use single spacing and use TNR10. It cuts my page count in half.

I can't do single spaced. For some reason the formatting on my template switched to single for about a half a chapter. Drove me nuts.

The margins and the font size are really good suggestions, though. I do that at work hen I'm printing out documents to review.

OpheliaRevived · Jul 17, 2009

I print out my first draft and go line by line with my "little red pen." Then I edit right over the first draft on the computer. I always keep any copies I've made as a just in case.

Parametric · Jul 17, 2009

I'm rewriting. From scratch. *weeps*

NicoleMD · Jul 17, 2009

I kill trees. Lots of them. I need nice margins so I can write notes and revisions that spiral all the way around the page and sometimes onto the back. Then I incorporate the revisions into the electronic file. Rinse. Repeat.

Nicole

RunawayScribe · Jul 17, 2009

I'm going through this now. I read through and made notes as to what I needed to change, fixing typos and whatnot as I found them. I'm in the process now of fixing plot points and making major changes - plot adds or takeaways, or scenes I don't need. When I'm done doing that and the plot is how I want it, I plan to go through and clean up wording - make sentences concise, add or detract description where necessary, maybe rework some dialogue, etc..

Shadow_Ferret · Jul 17, 2009

My second draft is my first draft edited. No secret to it.

I give it a good readthrough to see if I can spot any continuity issues. Was someone's eyes blue in the beginning and somehow turned brown? Are there any glaring plot holes?

After the first read, then I do searches for my list of words I use too much of, like "but," "look," "saw," "think," and so on. Try to rework those sentences. And I search for passive sentences, try to make them active.

YAwriter72 said:
A trick I use for hardcopy edits, I shrink margin to .25, use single spacing and use TNR10. It cuts my page count in half.

Um, no. I like my eyes. A lot. So I print everything out double spaced with at least 12 point. It also lets me write comments BETWEEN the lines, gives me more writing space to work with. Can't even imaging trying to make proofing marks and instruction on such tiny type as you're using.

MsGneiss · Jul 17, 2009

I almost never print, so I do all my editing on the digital draft. I have various degrees of edits - first, there are the research parts that got skipped, then there are the subplot details that got skipped - that's mostly writing, not editing, although I do it after the story is down. Then, I go through for parts that need to be expanded and others that need to be cut back. After that, sentence structure, word choice, punctuation. And so on and on in that fashion, until the end of time.

YAwriter72 · Jul 17, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
Um, no. I like my eyes. A lot. So I print everything out double spaced with at least 12 point. It also lets me write comments BETWEEN the lines, gives me more writing space to work with. Can't even imaging trying to make proofing marks and instruction on such tiny type as you're using.

I've already edited and I write pretty clean, so usually the hardcopy is to go over as a reader. I don't make a lot of comments or need lots of space to rewrite. And if I did find a spot, I use a number and jot it all on the back. Its what works for me. I feel bad enough printing out 60 pages, no way could I print 200 just to edit for every book.

Harper K · Jul 17, 2009

In the past, all my second drafts were complete and total rewrites because my first drafts tended to suck hardcore. I am the master at writing 70,000 words without a single shred of plot, stakes, character motivation, or conflict!

But this time, things are going better. I've got a short chapter outline that's been a great roadmap. I've got character motivation and a concrete ending in mind. I've got a "first reader" this time around who's been reading chapters pretty soon after I finish them, and giving some general feedback.

So what I plan to do is:
-- read the manuscript in a different format. I don't know if I'll print a hardcopy or not. I'm thinking what I'll do is lay the text out in Adobe InDesign (I know, this sounds like a waste of time, but I seriously enjoy it. I'm a book design nerd) and then print to a PDF. Then I can make digital notes on the PDF.

-- post-outline: make outline of all the events, themes, and motivations in the first draft, and then figure out which ones need to be moved around or deleted in the second draft

-- work from the first draft, if at all possible. This was seriously my #1 goal in writing this novel: to have a draft that's revisable instead of rewritable! I'll probably start with a new Word doc, but paste each chapter in to fix the big issues before line editing.

*crossing fingers*

Wark · Jul 17, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
A trick I use for hardcopy edits, I shrink margin to .25, use single spacing and use TNR10. It cuts my page count in half.

I'd like to look at it in the same format that a submission would be.

Plus, single spacing? My handwriting is like I shoved a pen up a cat's ass and threw it at the paper. I should quadruple space.

cwfgal · Jul 17, 2009

I reread the last 10-25 pages I wrote before writing anything new each session and I edit as I read. Usually about half way through I print out what I have and do a paper read and edit. Then I go back and enter those edits in what I have and continue from there. By the time I reach the end I have a fairly well edited piece but I always print out the entire thing at this point, hide it away for a couple of weeks, and then take it out and do one final read-through and edit.

Like others mentioned, I find it easier to see the mistakes on paper than on the screen and I like margins and double spacing for writing in all kinds of notes that sometimes meander around the page and onto the backside.

Beth

Charlie Horse · Jul 17, 2009

Edit on screen then give to readers. I don't edit hard copy until third draft.

dgrintalis · Jul 17, 2009

I am in the middle of edits right now and I'm doing them all on my laptop.

I'm sorry for posting two new topics in one day... How do you do your second draft?

Back from the dead

someone let me off this crazy ride

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Living the dream

someone let me off this crazy ride

crushing on fictional characters

crushing on fictional characters

Mark Brockman

crushing on fictional characters

someone let me off this crazy ride

someone let me off this crazy ride

crushing on fictional characters

Real Men Have Gills

Onomatopotamus

It is what it is.

Court Jester

someone let me off this crazy ride

here's to the girl on the go

Mark Brockman

On the rocks

Speaking in metaphors

'Tis true, she is a monstergirl