Re-writes/editing, help!

[Mike Martyn]

I've procrastinated long enough. It's time to edit novel # 1.

To echo a prevous thread, I'm an organic writer (as opposed to you out liners who are presumably silicon based life forms), so the ms is a bit rough.

I have a good idea on how to rework the first chapter and little old organic me wants to simply launch in but that may not be the best approach. I suspect I'll just end up at the end of 100,000 words with a rough draft of a completely different novel.

How does the following sound. I'll do character bios so I can round them out properly, I'll write a synopsis/ outline of the plot and subplots.
Then I'll go through it with a red pencil and split it into chapters and maybe beef up some of the minor characters and add lots of scenery.

Any suggestions other than converting to a silicon based, florine breathing life form?http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Bufty]

Wipe your mind as clean as you can, then read your manuscript SLOWLY as if it were the first time you'd ever seen it. Can you follow what is happening? Is a picture building up? Does it read smoothly? Do questions occur to you as you read? And so on...spelling, grammar, do events happen logically, are your tags clear and in the right place, have you maintained stimulus/response etc. etc.

The fact that you are an organic writer, like myself, does not mean you should approach things differently. And when you say it is a bit rough - that means you have an idea why. The manuscript shouldn't be too rough unless you rushed through it because as an organic writer the events should have led from one to another naturally and logically. Just my tuppenceworth.

Happy revising - it should be fun.

[cwfgal]

For my first major revision, I print the entire ms out, sit down with that red pen (pencil if you prefer), and just read, making comments as needed. Sometimes I cross out stuff, sometimes I make margin notes to add stuff, or expand something, or fact-check something. I keep a notepad at my side and make notes as needed on things I want to make sure I take care of later on, such as a plot point that needs to be resolved or a consistency I need to ensure. When I've done that, I sit down at the computer and go through the pages one at a time, reading my notes and making whatever changes I need.

When that's done, I start back at the beginning and read the whole thing through on the computer...this usually results in more notepad jottings and edits. Sometimes I'll print out sections to read or edit...I seem to do better editing on paper than on screen.

Generally I don't have a lot of editing to do in the first 2/3 of the ms. This is because I don't write every day and sometimes there are several days in between sessions. To get myself back into the flow of the work when I do sit down to write, I first read the last bunch of pages I've written. I generally edit as I do this and sometimes my whole session is spent editing, writing very little new material. For the first 50 pages or so of the work, I have a tendency to go all the back to the start of the book to reread. Past that, it's usually 20 pages or so I go back. So most of my "first draft" has already been edited quite thoroughly by the time I print it out.

After I feel confident I have all the basics taken care of -- plot points, story flow, character development, etc. -- I do one more read through on paper looking for passive voice, unnecessary appearances of "that," weak modifiers, and other such problems.

I think every writer has to figure out a system that works for them. I know a lot of writers who can edit on screen all the time just fine but while I do "in progress" edits on screen as I'm writing, at some point I have to print stuff out and read/edit it that way. I always see things on paper that I miss on screen.

So I'd say go to it with your red pencil and see where it takes you. If you feel the need to bio your characters, do so. (Small confession here, despite my ABC's of character development workshop, I never do a bio on any of my characters. I prefer to have my characters evolve as I write. Yes, I'm a total hypocrite.) If you want to outline at this point, do so. It might help you to see plotting holes you've missed. I do outline ahead of time, but I always deviate from the original outline a lot by the time I'm done and once I have a finished first draft, I never go back to that outline--I use the notepad system instead.

Good luck with it.

Beth

Beth

[icerose]

I'll do character bios so I can round them out properly, I'll write a synopsis/ outline of the plot and subplots.
Then I'll go through it with a red pencil and split it into chapters and maybe beef up some of the minor characters and add lots of scenery.

Any suggestions other than converting to a silicon based, florine breathing life form?http://absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon7.gif

I can't say I have ever done this, especially not after the fact.

I would suggest following what others have done. You aren't writing a book anymore you are analyzing it, breaking it down, fixing it, tweaking it, so on and so forth. So just take it slow, sometimes I have to break it into paragraphs, and just read one paragraph (my weakness is sentences making them active and interesting so the paragraph approach works).

I usually do several processes.
1. Story, plot, characters. The first edit I focus entirely on the story line the plot, the characters and make sure everything fits, that there aren't any contradictions like main character having blue eyes in the beginning and brown eyes near the end. Make sure its the story you want to tell. Make sure your story follows logistics.

2 and several other drafts I focus on the sentences, finding the best way to deliver my story to the audience in the most interesting way I can summon. I also bring in others to help me as well.

Those are the basics for me, but I have never written an outline, synopsis, character sketches after the fact because I know my story well enough.

[Mike Martyn]

Bufty, I believe that you and I had the same lecture by Uncle Jim last weekend and so I have read it over. I have to add way more scenery and do lots of character development.

Thanks for everyone's comments. I sat down at lunch to do bios and, like one of you posted, there wasn't any point. I know them all by now.

I red pencilled for a while but then I stopped and just started writing a completely new first scene. It's set in a kitchen as a winter blizzard rages outside. (cound't very well rage inside).

The son and his friend come in as the mother argues with the father trying to convince him that the weather's too awful for him to drive. I have to be able to make the reader care about the warm hearted, loving father and husband so when he skids off the road into the river and dies in the flaming wreakage, we feel for his window and fatherless son.

That didn't make a lot of sense so I should point out the river ice is eight feet thick.

I have to develope the mother as a strong chacter so that her eventual mental disintegration will be sufficiently dramatic.

This is as much fun as writing the first draft. Why was I dreading this?

Thanks again for everybody's help.

[Bufty]

Bufty, I believe that you and I had the same lecture by Uncle Jim last weekend and so I have read it over.

.

Not sure what you mean, Mike, but as long as thing's are working out for you. :) Have fun.