Overwrite vs. Underwrite

gilesth · Feb 23, 2010

Do you overwrite your manuscript and cut the word count to fit your desires, or do you underwrite it and let revisions help you reach your goals? Personally, I underwrite and revise because that's what I found to be most effective for me, but I've heard of many authors who overwrite.

Why do you write the way you do?

Bubastes · Feb 23, 2010

I tend to overwrite by about 10-15%. It's not a conscious decision -- I'm just naturally wordy in my first drafts.

Chris P · Feb 23, 2010

I've done both. I have short stories anywhere from 300 words to 5K.

My first novella started as a short story. I then padded the stew out of it to make it novel length. I then cut out the stew and let it be at 36K words.

For my first full novel, I wrote what I wanted, how I wanted and it came in at 230K. I shortened it to 200, then 185, and now I'm slashing it to a current 116K.

For my current WIP, I'm straining a bit to reach 70K, but once it's done I shouldn't have to do much more to it.

JamieFord · Feb 23, 2010

I underwrite, now that I think of it. With the last book I added 6,000 words in revision.

I know of another author that regularly turns in 500,000-word manuscripts and his editor basically carves the story out of that much excess.

ether · Feb 23, 2010

I kind of do both. With my finished MS, I went back in and added about 10k worth of new chapters/plot points and character development, but now I've gone back in and trimmed out about 7k of the entire thing in places where I was too wordy.

scarletpeaches · Feb 23, 2010

Overwrite.

My first book went from 148k down to 85k.

The one I'm editing now came in at around 86k. I'll be adding to some paragraphs but overall I expect to lose around 5-10k.

CaroGirl · Feb 23, 2010

I consistently write too short. With my current wip, I'm keeping the w/c goal firmly in mind as a I write and I'm hoping to come pretty close this time. I think I tend to write short because I'm a naturally spare writer. But I'm learning (I hope).

C.M.C. · Feb 23, 2010

I do neither. My works are not yo-yo dieters.

gilesth · Feb 23, 2010

JamieFord said:
I know of another author that regularly turns in 500,000-word manuscripts and his editor basically carves the story out of that much excess.

Wow! That sounds like a lot of work

I couldn't imagine putting that much work into something that I know is going to get torn to shreds. I'm surprised the editors are willing to put that much work into the story, too. Shows how much I still have to learn about the industry

Jamesaritchie · Feb 23, 2010

Neither. I know what length I want a novel to be before I start writing, and that's the length I make it.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 23, 2010

JamieFord said:
I underwrite, now that I think of it. With the last book I added 6,000 words in revision.

I know of another author that regularly turns in 500,000-word manuscripts and his editor basically carves the story out of that much excess.

That writer either sells spectacularly well, or has a saint for an editor. Every editor I know would laugh and drop the manuscript in the nearest trash can.

Danthia · Feb 23, 2010

Underwrite. I always get the story down first, then look for ways to layer in deeper meaning and develop the characters better. I just think it's easier to add than to subtract. Once it's down it's a lot harder to get rid of it, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical standpoint. One thing might be interconnected to too many other aspects of the story and it's a pain to prune it all out.

scarletpeaches · Feb 23, 2010

Oh I find it much easier to cut than to add. Adding feels like I'm shovelling in fluff just to bulk up the word count. It's far, far easier to take away and cover over the join with a few judicious paragraphs.

Pip · Feb 23, 2010

I’m an underwriter. I kind of do it on purpose, because I really like to knock that first draft out quickly. When I have that draft in front of me, it’s easier for me to realise what’s missing from my story. To be honest though after a couple more drafts it can turn into a prime example of overwriting.

Alpha Echo · Feb 23, 2010

I underwrite. I'm with Pip - I just try to get that first draft out, then I can go through and make it decent.

RJK · Feb 23, 2010

I usually come in close to my target with the first draft. If I'm under, I find it difficult to add word count. I tried to add 10K words to one WIP by bringing in a new character with more problems the protagonist had to overcome. The best I could do with that exercise was about 1,800 words. I went back through the entire story looking for places I could add dialog or description. It was hard, I tell ya, it was hard.

Mara · Feb 23, 2010

Right now, I seem to underwrite when it comes to word count, but overwrite when it comes to number of scenes.

(I write scenes that need to be cut, but I tend to leave out a lot of description, so overall, fewer words but still lots of cutting.)

aadams73 · Feb 23, 2010

I'm definitely in the "underwriter" pile. While I get the bulk of the story down and in place, I'll leave some scenes a little lacking until I know who the characters are. In the WIP fermenting on my harddrive right now, I wasn't sure the villain was a villain until the halfway point, so I took a lighter hand than normal with his scenes.

Action scenes also remain spare and bony until the second draft.

maggi90w1 · Feb 23, 2010

Underwrite. I always get the story down first, then look for ways to layer in deeper meaning and develop the characters better

This. In the first draft I need to get the plot down. After that I can add diffrent layers to the story.

gilesth · Feb 23, 2010

Jamesaritchie said:
Neither. I know what length I want a novel to be before I start writing, and that's the length I make it.

Well, many authors know what length they want the novel to end up at, but how do you reach that length when you move from first to second to final draft?

Southpaw · Feb 23, 2010

Both. It varies from chapter to chapter and day to day.

Jeanette · Feb 23, 2010

Danthia said:
Underwrite. I always get the story down first, then look for ways to layer in deeper meaning and develop the characters better. I just think it's easier to add than to subtract. Once it's down it's a lot harder to get rid of it, both from an emotional standpoint and a technical standpoint. One thing might be interconnected to too many other aspects of the story and it's a pain to prune it all out.

Word.

incognitopress · Feb 23, 2010

I overwrite. And no, it's not a problem of too many adjectives, just a lot of plot points and twists. My finished draft was 226K. I pared it down to 211,000, then to 209K. Anyway, when the dust settles, I expect my book to come in close to 205,000. But at the moment I've got 3 fulls out, 2 partials and a couple of interested parties, so it's not always a danger to overwrite, as long as the material is more complex than just descriptive filler.

aadams73 · Feb 23, 2010

gilesth said:
Well, many authors know what length they want the novel to end up at, but how do you reach that length when you move from first to second to final draft?

This is going to sound glib, but it's not intended to be: practice.

Pretty soon you get a good feel for pacing, where you are in your story, how much more there is to go. And you'll find you're able to push the plot into the word count frame you've designated. Sure, you may go over or a little under, but that's easily rectifiable with a little concise dissection and editing.

(Says the woman whose current first scene consists of two lines.)

CaroGirl · Feb 23, 2010

aadams73 said:
This is going to sound glib, but it's not intended to be: practice.

Pretty soon you get a good feel for pacing, where you are in your story, how much more there is to go. And you'll find you're able to push the plot into the word count frame you've designated. Sure, you may go over or a little under, but that's easily rectifiable with a little concise dissection and editing.

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Overwrite vs. Underwrite

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