How does your technique change and evolve throughout WIP?

jannawrites · Mar 6, 2008

When I first began my WIP I had to edit along the way; I couldn't make myself move on if I didn't. But now that I'm nearing the end, I find my goal has become that of simply getting the story out, while not being so anal about format and flow. And somehow I'm okay with this, even knowing it means more editing will need to be done down the road.

Have your techniques changed through the formation of your WIP? How so?

nicolen · Mar 6, 2008

Interesting. I don't really concentrate too heavily on editing while I'm writing the first draft - I just want to get the story written. Once the first draft is finished, I go back and edit it to bits and from then on I'm editing as I write.

But that first draft has to be finished before I start with any serious editing. Otherwise I'm editing all he time and lose the flow of what I'm writing.

Mumut · Mar 6, 2008

I have to edit regularly. I don't trust myself to get too far ahead. I had this problem from the beginning of my first book to the end. It was there again all the way through the second book. And now I'm writing the third book guess what? It's still here.

CasualObserver · Mar 6, 2008

It's not so much my technique that changes. I start out knowing most of the story and how I want to go about writing it, and that stays pretty consistent throughout. The characters, however, that's another story. By the time I get to the end of a book, I've spent so much time with the characters that I know them much better than I did at the beginning. I go back to read from chapter one and find I have to edit to firm up some seriously lukewarm characterisations from back when they were only acquaintances.

Birol · Mar 7, 2008

My technique doesn't change, per se, but I do grow and evolve as a writer. If I procrastinate long enough on a project, you'll even see the development leaps in the text.

aonarach · Mar 7, 2008

in my current WIP i found my focus shifting from a character i thought would be central, to another darker, and (to me) more interesting character. this changed the mood of the entire piece, however i didn't edit too much as i wrote the first draft, instead writing little reminders to myself (i love post-its!) to keep an eye out for specific inconsistencies. there were times a scene would tickle my brain until i fixed it RIGHT AWAY, but for the most part i try to resist those urges because i'll probably just change it again during the re-write.

jannawrites · Mar 7, 2008

CasualObserver said:
...I start out knowing most of the story and how I want to go about writing it...

aonarach said:
in my current WIP i found my focus shifting from a character i thought would be central, to another darker, and (to me) more interesting character. this changed the mood of the entire piece...

Me, too, CasualObserver. I knew various plot points and what end I wanted to reach when I began, but now, having gotten so far through the ms, details and subplots keep popping up and surprising me. And, like you've said aonarach, it's changing the mood a bit. It's still, I think, falling under the same genre as when I started, but these new elements are changing the tone of the book. For the better, I think. I just didn't see myself writing about the car crash that would kill the MC's stalker... In fact, the stalker himself was a twist I'd never planned on...

vrabinec · Mar 7, 2008

CasualObserver said:
It's not so much my technique that changes. I start out knowing most of the story and how I want to go about writing it, and that stays pretty consistent throughout. The characters, however, that's another story. By the time I get to the end of a book, I've spent so much time with the characters that I know them much better than I did at the beginning. I go back to read from chapter one and find I have to edit to firm up some seriously lukewarm characterisations from back when they were only acquaintances.

Well put.

Stew21 · Mar 7, 2008

I hit lots of bumps as I go through a WIP, but I write with a character in mind and let the story unfold as I go. Sometimes it takes me a bit to find a character's voice. So the only real technique change for me is fine-tuning voice and writing it *differently* than when I started. I save edits for the end of the first draft, though on my last WIP, I had a terrible urge to go back and edit some of the first chapters before I moved forward.
Each novel is different, I've noticed too. The techniquest that work for one - and you feel like you've gotten the hang of the novel writing thing - do not work in the next novel.I have to make minute adjustments throughout the writing process on all of my work.

BlueTexas · Mar 7, 2008

I don't think my technique changes. But I know if I edit while writing the first draft, I'll never finish that first draft. I have to get the story down before I can fix it, you know?

maestrowork · Mar 7, 2008

I try different techniques just to keep writing. Sometimes I'll write only dialogue (especially for the dialogue-heavy scenes) -- then fill in the rest later. Sometimes I would write in 1st person in the character's POV (to help me really get into their heads), and later change back to 3rd person limited. Sometimes I'd do scene outlines (basically "this happens and then that happens") just to get the plot out. Whatever it takes to keep me moving forward instead of feeling stuck.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 7, 2008

My technique doesn't change through the course of one novel. It has changed over the course of several. I used to write and edit and polish until it got to the point that I'd never finish the novel, but I'd have 4 really great chapters.

Now I write it through until the end, THEN I start editing.

Quadrillion · Mar 7, 2008

If you're talking about writing ability improving through time, go back and rewrite the first chapters.

If you are talking about POV of a character getting darker, seems the character would have to get darker.

Novels need consistency.

Danalynn · Mar 7, 2008

Stew21 said:
I hit lots of bumps as I go through a WIP, but I write with a character in mind and let the story unfold as I go.

That's what I do, too.

lfraser · Mar 7, 2008

I stopped the compulsive editing about 200 pages ago. Now I'm puttering along -- not fast, but fairly steady, and nearing the end of my draft.

I, too, sometimes write in first person and revise to third, especially with one character in particular; I originally conceived of her as the POV character for the novel and I still hear her speaking in first person.

The most difficult thing for me has been and continues to be maintaining a consistent voice throughout. That's partly because I'm a novice, but I also think it's a consequence of taking so long to write this draft. I'll try to edit fairly quickly, or at least make one quick pass specifically to maintain voice all the way through before I do the major editing. Otherwise I'll end up with obvious layers of all the influences I've been exposed to in the past 13 months.

dizz · Mar 8, 2008

nicolen said:
Interesting. I don't really concentrate too heavily on editing while I'm writing the first draft - I just want to get the story written. Once the first draft is finished, I go back and edit it to bits and from then on I'm editing as I write.

But that first draft has to be finished before I start with any serious editing. Otherwise I'm editing all he time and lose the flow of what I'm writing.

That is my process also. I generally try and get my first draft written before I even dream about editing it. Once I get the first draft done I can go through and edit while I read.

How does your technique change and evolve throughout WIP?

jannawrites

no, really

nicolen

Mumut

Well begun is half done...

CasualObserver

Birol

Around and About

aonarach

Not all who wander are lost

jannawrites

no, really

vrabinec

Dipwad

Stew21

BlueTexas

Back from self-exile land.

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

Quadrillion

Danalynn

NEVER give up!!!!

lfraser

Bored and Frantic

dizz