Has this happened to anyone else?

Sassee · Oct 5, 2007

So, my husband is helping me out with my first draft. He got to chapter 5 or something and he was like - "Your writing seems more solid after chapter 4." He couldn't pinpoint the reason other than to say the first few chapters seemed a lot more amateur-ish, but I knew immediately what he was talking about.

Around chapter 4, I discovered these forums. I ate up all these posts like a fat kid in a candy store.

And my writing improved.

From what I'm hearing most people improve between novels, but it looks like I may have made a small jump inside this one draft. Which is both good and bad... it makes it hella irritating to try and revise because I basically have to rewrite a lot of the beginning chapters.

Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get to a point in your WIP where you went, "ah ha! I've found my stride!" and then later had to go back and try to fix the other mess? Did you scrap and rewrite? Did you try to work with the existing material?

I think I see now why my inner editor wanted to perfect things as I went. This revising thing sucks. Heh.

Prawn · Oct 5, 2007

No.

That being said, Yes.

I mean what I discovered on about page 100 of my first novel was that it wasn't bad. I had discovered my voice, and figured out how to say things. What that meant was when I was done, I had to go back through the first 100 pages and revise it to match the style of the rest of the book.

These forums have helped me in a lot of ways, but not as much as writing the first 100 pages or so.

Perks · Oct 5, 2007

With my first one, for sure. I'm still working the kinks out of that one.

JoNightshade · Oct 5, 2007

I don't think my writing itself improved from coming here, because I still write the same sloppy way, but my editing process has improved by leaps and bounds. So I feel like I'm coming out with a much tighter, better book because of AW. Yay!

Shadow_Ferret · Oct 5, 2007

No. My writing is the same awful garbage it was before I came here.

jennifer75 · Oct 5, 2007

No, but I'm more open to changing how it reads.

I know, it didn't make sense to me either.

Calla Lily · Oct 5, 2007

Sassee said:
Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get to a point in your WIP where you went, "ah ha! I've found my stride!" and then later had to go back and try to fix the other mess? Did you scrap and rewrite? Did you try to work with the existing material?

Oh, yeah. More than once.

I've done both: scrapped a bunch, rewrote a bunch, wrestled some of the existing into shape for the rewrite. Not too much of the latter.

This is why God made margaritas. :e2writer:

joyce · Oct 5, 2007

It happened but I still haven't got around to fixing my first one yet. I've moved on to two other ones that hopefully will be better from the start. When I found the Cooler it was good and bad. Good - I learned a bunch of stuff about what the publishing industry wants and the whole writing process in general. Bad - I never realized there were so many rules and it was so difficult.....it was almost depressing. I'm a girl for a challenge though and since I've been here my skin has developed "rhino syndrome".

Julie Worth · Oct 5, 2007

Sassee said:
Did you get to a point in your WIP where you went, "ah ha! I've found my stride!" and then later had to go back and try to fix the other mess?

This happens every single time.

Judg · Oct 5, 2007

Joyce, those are guidelines, not rules... Relax.

Sassee · Oct 5, 2007

callalily61 said:
Oh, yeah. More than once.

I've done both: scrapped a bunch, rewrote a bunch, wrestled some of the existing into shape for the rewrite. Not too much of the latter.

This is why God made margaritas.

You are my new best friend.

Nateskate · Oct 5, 2007

Sassee said:
Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get to a point in your WIP where you went, "ah ha! I've found my stride!" and then later had to go back and try to fix the other mess? Did you scrap and rewrite? Did you try to work with the existing material?

I think I see now why my inner editor wanted to perfect things as I went. This revising thing sucks. Heh.

When I first wrote, I had readers tell me it was good enough to publish, and I knew it wasn't even close. So I did a full re-write of an epic series. Then I proofed book one and my heart sank. "I can't believe I wrote this drivel!" - this was already edited mind you.

The story was great, but my storytelling wasn't. And so it was back to school. And this has happened in most revisions. When I finally got to read my story without having to stop every page and edit, it was like soaking in the hot tube. Smiles all around.

Meerkat · Oct 5, 2007

Sassee said:
So, my spouse ....got to chapter 5 ...

I thought you meant has THAT happened to anyone else.

Not yet.

Moon Daughter · Oct 5, 2007

I've gone back and reread chapters I printed out from a year or two ago, and let me tell you this...they weren't that great. My writing is MUCH better now, although I still have way too much to learn. So don't worry...I think this pretty much happens to everyone.

maestrowork · Oct 5, 2007

Sassee said:
Has this happened to anyone else? Did you get to a point in your WIP where you went, "ah ha! I've found my stride!" and then later had to go back and try to fix the other mess? Did you scrap and rewrite? Did you try to work with the existing material?

I "found my stride" at around mid-book -- before then, I was writing, then edit, perfect it, then write a bit, then perfect it, etc... it was tedious... but mid-book I started to write like I was on fire, and I didn't stop until it was done. I ended up cutting 7 chapters (about 15,000 words) off the top.

I haven't quite found my stride with the current WIP yet... it comes and goes.

Soccer Mom · Oct 5, 2007

Yeah, it happened. I never got around to fixing my first book. All I see are the flaws and I'm not sure it's worth it. My writing is so much better now that reading my old stuff gives me the heebie jeebies.

I hope to feel the same way about my current writing in another year.

sunna · Oct 5, 2007

O yeah.

I think I would have eventually come around to rewriting chapters 1-4 of my first WIP on my own, but joining AW made me realize that a) that's pretty normal, and b) the uber-descriptive, stream-of consciousness style all my college English profs loved wasn't going to be of any use to me in genre fiction. *sad sigh* Makes me wish they'd had classes in that.

So far hitting my stride about 3 chapters in is pretty standard for me. I just write whatever scene in my head wants to be written, and know I'll be cutting plenty of them when I get past the 1st draft.

Thump · Oct 5, 2007

I'm on my first draft and already I see all the bad stuff before >_< My story is changing every minute and I can't go back and start over like I want to until I finish this draft or I'll be stuck in editing mode forever and never finish...

I can't wait for the rewrite >___<

amber_grosjean · Oct 5, 2007

Actually, it was editing my new book that has really improved my writing. This forum has helped too but the editing process through my publisher has had more of an impact. My vocabulary isn't all that great and I only use words that I know, sometimes I will know a word but the not the actual definition so I look it up and realize I was right or wrong.

But I've learned that others words can be used instead of the ones I've been using that brings more of a punch to the story. How a person moves whether he inches toward a person or lunges at them is a big difference. Before I always said things like, "Moved slowly" or "he ran" which didn't really say what I meant. Now, I'm finding what words say what I really mean and that is really awsome.

I've been working on the new WIP and editing at the same time. This way, my next book will be almost done by the time the published one is released, not likely but it would be nice lol.

I reached page 70 or so and started writing differently in some of my scenes. Once I edit this piece I will have to incorporate what I've learned in the rest of the story to make the earlier pages match the later ones. It is frustrating but it can be rewarding at the same time because you are witnessing your mind growing in knowledge and that is cool.

Amber

MMWyrm · Oct 5, 2007

I'm still working on the writing getting better.

What I have learned coming to AW is that I'm not as good as the general public (well, the limited slice that has read my writing) made me believe.

Thanks!

NicoleMD · Oct 5, 2007

Oh, yeah...All the time.

I'd say it's a very natural thing. The more you exercise your writing skills, the stronger of a writer you become. Plus, as the novel goes on, you get to know your characters and world better, so I'd imagine those two things combined would lead to the end of a piece being stronger in the beginning.

Resist the urge to go back and edit (if your sanity allows it) and finish the story, since if you do go back, you'll have to redo it all anyway since you'll have improved again by the time you finish the book! But that's just me wishing I could, because I've been known to have to "fix" things or it irrritates me to no end.

Nicole

TheIT · Oct 5, 2007

Definitely. Last year I put my novel on hold to do NaNo, and there's a profound difference in quality between what I wrote before NaNo and afterward.

Also, I don't outline, so it takes a lot of pages to get to know the characters and the situation. I figure I'll always have to go back and rewrite the beginning once I know where the story ends.

melaniehoo · Oct 5, 2007

I've noticed an improvement in my writing, both from advice here on AW and because my story has come together more in my head. I was a little unsure of my purpose at the beginning and combined with not paying attention to any writing rules I was all over the place. I will have to rewrite some sections, but the story itself will remain the same so I'm not too scared. Yet.

wood pixie · Oct 5, 2007

Hmmm. Sort of.

I have not been here very long. So, the influence wasn't from here.

But after I began working on my first MS I joined another writers group. They have an excellent chat room. The advice and suggestions I received there were very helpful.

I finished my MS and went back and revised & polished twice. And I think the knowledge I'd gained through that group made a tremendous difference.

David I · Oct 5, 2007

I haven't had that happen, but I know a lot of writers, and I can tell you that it is very common. For many writers the opening hudred pages of a new novel are just getting tone right and meeting the characters and finding the start of the story. It's sort of the equivalent of an artist making sketches before diving into the real painting.

It doesn't work like that for me because I tend to hold off on writing until it becomes so urgent I almost can't help it. This involves long periods of clenching my fists and muttering under my breath and going for long walks and drives and just generally raising my blood pressure and losing my hair.

The net effect is that when I start writing that first chapter, it is as if I've been flooring the accelerator but keeping my foot on the brake, and suddenly I release the brake. So my first chapter is always my first chapter (with the exception of one time that I switched chapters one and two), and the voice is already established in my head by the time I start writing.

I'm not recommending the way I do it. It's just the only way that seems to work for me.

The great thing about writing is that all people see is the final product, not the process.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Momma Wolf

Writing is finite,revising infinite

delicate #!&@*#! flower

has finally arrived

Court Jester

SupahStah!

On hiatus

I'm really shy...

What? I have a title?

DISENCHANTED coming soon

Momma Wolf

Claims the loan was a gift

Fear the Death Ray

Crypto-fascist

defying grabbity

AW Addict

Onomatopotamus

Infuriatingly Theoretical

And thus we begin the edits