Revision habits

Adam Israel · Feb 21, 2007

Writing habits vary person to person but I wonder this realization I've had is common among anyone else.

I've noticed that I will finish first drafts just fine. I get a bit stuck if I try to edit it right away, like I'm too attached or close to the story emotionally.

Here's what I've found that works for me:
Write first draft.
Critique and make notes on changes to make.
File it away for a few weeks/months.
Edit/revise/rewrite a previously-written draft.
Rinse and repeat.

Does anyone else have a similar problem and feel the need to wait between first draft and rewrites? Part of me thinks that I should go with what works but I have this nagging doubt that I should strike while the iron is hot and do my edits/rewrites while the story is still fresh in my mind.

waylander · Feb 21, 2007

You need distance from it.
Your newly minted story is too close to you. Work on something else so that the tight emotional link is broken. If possible find some other people to read it, then revise based on half a dozen opinions.

Leigh Walker · Feb 21, 2007

I am working on my first novel and hit a major wall when I tried to revise after the first draft. I put it away per the advice of people here, and after a month I am actaully starting to think about my manuscript without wanting to cry! I feel curious about the revision process and think that I may be getting close to being ready to look at it again. I am going to give myself a few more weeks, but I think putting it away was the best thing for me to do!

Siddow · Feb 21, 2007

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55700

That's a thread in novels titled "How do you write" that addresses this same sort of thing.

JeanneTGC · Feb 21, 2007

I do both (lot of good that is for your question, right?).

But I find that if I've put the piece away for a bit, when I go back to it I can ALWAYS find something that can/should be edited, even if it's just a word or two. So, I do tend to put things away, even if I think they're ready, give them a week to a year (depending) and then take another looksee.

I just write other stuff while I'm waiting to review the older stuff -- which helps me forget the older stuff faster, which is also good for reading with a fresh eye.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 21, 2007

Revision

I suspect a great many writers put something away for a time before revising and editing. I do on occasion, but rarely. I tried it and it didn't seem to help.
I usually edit and revise the moment I type "The End."

Part of this comes, I'm sure, from writing for newspapers. There's no possible way to wait when the deadline might be a few hours in the future.

But mostly it's just what works for me. I sometimes have a story in the mail the same day I start writing it, though this is rare. It's usually a two day process for most stories, three or four for really long ones.

If it takes me too long to write a short story, it usually means I'm writing a bad short story. And if I can see the faults right away, I'll probably never see them.

PeeDee · Feb 21, 2007

I tend to edit right away too. I may see the problems while I'm writing, but I dont' do anything about them until I've reached "The End." Editing while you're writing is like chasing your own tail.

I don't wait, though. Not for short stories. If I write it on Monday, then I'll have it in an envelope (or attached to an email) and out of the house by Wednesday, latest.

arrowqueen · Feb 22, 2007

I edit on the hoof, then re-edit as soon as they're printed out. (For some reason I see mistakes more easily on a page than on a screen.) After that I send 'em off into the wide world.

Each to his own - and hanging around doesn't work for me.

Kate Thornton · Feb 22, 2007

I edit short shorts right away, but longer stories - above 2,000 words - I let cool for a few days before trying to tighten the loose nuts.

bsolah · Feb 23, 2007

I leave drafts for a while, come back to it, edit it and put it out for critique, make changes, and repeat the cycle until I'm happy with the story.

steveg144 · Feb 24, 2007

StoneTable said:
Writing habits vary person to person but I wonder this realization I've had is common among anyone else.

I've noticed that I will finish first drafts just fine. I get a bit stuck if I try to edit it right away, like I'm too attached or close to the story emotionally.

Yeah, I generally put a piece aside for a few weeks after first draft. First of all, I feel sick at the sight of it after busting my chops on the first draft. Then, after the queasiness subsides, I am literally unable to see the flaws. Step back for two weeks then re-read, and it's like "Whoa, what crap! This bad boy needs work! Well, let's get to it.... " :tongue

Ad Astra · Feb 24, 2007

I don’t write a first draft or rewrite—I hack through the paragraphs as I go through, and it works best for me.

Rich · Feb 24, 2007

Recently I decided to write about ten first drafts, ranging from 1000 to 2000 words each, without rewriting.

A fiasco.

I'm better off writing one piece and working on that one piece. I give myself the next day to review and start rewriting. When I submit and get back a rejection I rewrite again. It works for me.

JeanneTGC · Feb 24, 2007

Rich said:
Recently I decided to write about ten first drafts, ranging from 1000 to 2000 words each, without rewriting.

A fiasco.

I'm better off writing one piece and working on that one piece. I give myself the next day to review and start rewriting. When I submit and get back a rejection I rewrite again. It works for me.

Question about that -- do you rewrite due to a rejection because you would normally sell into that market so if you didn't, that would mean it wasn't "right"? Or do you rewrite after a rejection to a new market/market that's never accepted you before?

Tsu Dho Nimh · Feb 24, 2007

StoneTable said:
Does anyone else have a similar problem and feel the need to wait between first draft and rewrites? Part of me thinks that I should go with what works but I have this nagging doubt that I should strike while the iron is hot and do my edits/rewrites while the story is still fresh in my mind.

Go with what works.

I know authors who polish each chapter beforethey start the next, authors who p9olish each days work on the folloowing day, and authors who charge through their first draft like Sherman through Altanta and then let it sit for a month before they look at it again.

Penguin Queen · Feb 25, 2007

Ad Astra said:
I don’t write a first draft or rewrite—I hack through the paragraphs as I go through, and it works best for me.

Yes, I do that.
I never used to write drafts until very, very recently. I'd go over everything I'd written during the previous session before I'd start writing something new. And I think I was evry picky with what left my head and got put on paper (or hard drive). I woudlnt write it down unless I felt it was good enough.

Recently, I've slowly started with the draft thing to write myself out of a corner, or feeling blocked. Just charged ahead with 2000 words a day (which is a lot for me; I dont write fast) to clear the tubes, as it were, which I woudl tidy & edit afterwards.

I think it's a question of temprament & inclination, as others have said.

Do what works best for you.

laurel29 · Feb 26, 2007

I'm a newbie so this doesn't count for much, but I'm finding that I write a rough draft and then immediately start rewriting it. The problem I have is that every rewrite is worse than the original story

. It's good that I can laugh at myself, otherwise I'd be crying.

Next time I'm going to try waiting a little while before I start rewriting, and see if that helps stop my word massacring tendencies. In the meantime, I write bad poetry about how irritated I am with my bad prose.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 27, 2007

My short fiction gets the once or twice over as soon as I finish it. I'll print it out and go to town with a red pen, then I'll retype the whole thing from scratch using the hard copy. As I type I often come up with new ideas or directions and they go in, too. Then I do the whole process over until I think I've got it as perfect as I can and then I submit it.

In other words, there is no break between starting and submission for my short fiction.

drachin8 · Feb 27, 2007

When I finish my rough draft, I wait half a day or so, copy it into WordPad (and make the WordPad window really skinny so it breaks up the appearance), and rewrite into a fresh document. The rewrite ends up a mix of the original and new phrasing/imagery. I find this method great for noticing what isn't working for me out of the first draft.

After that, I usually do a few more major drafts over the next week, tweaking away at the subtler flaws, solidifying my intentions, and taking into account any critiques I solicit (although I usually only post for critiques around the third or fourth draft). Right now, I have put myself on a 'story every two weeks' schedule (New Years resolution) to force myself to write under a deadline and stop procrastinating so darned much. It is a bit of work since, like many folk on here, I also have a full time job and home to take care of, but so far I am surviving it.

So far, that is my process. I have only been doing short stories for about 6 months, though, so I am sure my process will continue to refine as I figure "things" out.

-Michelle

Rich · Feb 27, 2007

JeanneTGC said:
Question about that -- do you rewrite due to a rejection because you would normally sell into that market so if you didn't, that would mean it wasn't "right"? Or do you rewrite after a rejection to a new market/market that's never accepted you before?

I spend much more time rewriting than writing. I just about always rewrite after a rejection. Makes no difference if I published there or not.

Rich · Feb 27, 2007

Did I follow your question? I'm not sure.

JeanneTGC · Feb 27, 2007

Rich said:
Did I follow your question? I'm not sure.

Yes, you did, thanks!

MattW · Feb 27, 2007

I'm thinking or rewriting my newest story not long after finishing. I wrote it over too long a period, and want to go over it in one pass to make sure I have the same voice and tone, and to mark the bits that were too clunky in the first draft. Maybe not full on revision.

pdr · Feb 27, 2007

Alas...

I never stop revising a story. Every time it goes out it has been tweaked and edited.

Rich · Feb 28, 2007

MattW said:
I'm thinking or rewriting my newest story not long after finishing. I wrote it over too long a period, and want to go over it in one pass to make sure I have the same voice and tone, and to mark the bits that were too clunky in the first draft. Maybe not full on revision.

I'd not concern myself with voice and tone. When you do you tend to restrict yourself to that same voice and tone. The rewriting, odd as this is gonna sound, will more determine your voice and tone than that first draft.

Revision habits

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