re-drafting: how do you do it?

mirrorkisses · Oct 7, 2007

So they say that you should wait until you're done with your work to start rewriting. "They" being the writing community, or the "authorities" of writing. I can see the point: you might get caught up on making a few chapters perfect and never finish your story.

But still, because of the computer age, I'm one of those who re-drafts as she writes. Right now I only have about three different files of my story, because I've made it a point not to rewrite and just get it done... But I started doing rewrites today because I'm not sure where to go next with my story. I felt like I might as well do something while I'm brainstorming.

So, how do you re-draft/rewrite? What way do you think is better, or do you even think there is a better way?

I think that as long as you have a passion for the work it doesn't matter if you edit while you go or not. If you have that passion it will get done.

Nymtoc · Oct 7, 2007

Each writer has his or her way of proceeding. There is no correct way. Who are these authorities who say you should be done with your work before you start rewriting? Are they the same gurus who say you must work from an outline, must write biographical sketches of all your characters and must be able to summarize your story in one concise sentence? All those things may be useful, but they are not rules.

I revise continually as I go along. It works for me, and--yes--I do finish my projects.

Find what works best for you. :Thumbs:

mirrorkisses · Oct 7, 2007

I wasn't asking for advice, I was asking out of curiosity, and yes, I agree with you about your first paragraph. That was my point, everyone does it differently. So I'd like to see how other people do it

ORION · Oct 7, 2007

All the other authors I talk to - do it differently. It is completely individual and really -unless you are dissatisfied with the way you are doing it - is personal preference.
Try not to get into a discussion about which is best- There is no one best way for everyone- only a best way for you.

RoadBuddy · Oct 7, 2007

Right. The only method that will work for you is the one that works for you.

If it's of any use to you, I always go over what I wrote the day before when I start the day. When a manuscript is finished, I put it away for a while. A week, a month, whatever. When I go back, it's almost like reading something someone else wrote. The problems rise right to the top. If I'm still not happy, I do it again.

Wraith · Oct 7, 2007

Agreed with Nymtoc. As my story changes, I rewrite past things to help me go on, because it gets pretty confusing otherwise (usually when I think of a scene I have to insert somewhere, I also write it, because I feel like it and because it may actually change the course of the story). But I also try to press on and not to get caught in revision. I'll try to write on even if I don't feel like it, but I won't revise my WIP unless I do.

Then again, I'm not one of these people who can finish a first draft at the speed of light. My draft tends to be polished, because every time I write, I read the last scene and edit a bit to get me into the atmosphere.

That's just the way I do, and there's no wrong way but the one that makes you sick of writing. As long as it's fun and makes your writing flow, it's ok.

The thing about waiting until you rewrite is meant to help you after you've finished the draft, polished or rough - to come back to it with a fresh eye. I've found taking a break does wonders to your ability to both spot mistakes and appreciate your own work. But I'm sure even that doesn't work for everyone - that's just how writing is.

ORION · Oct 7, 2007

Sorry we just posted at the same time where you clarified your question-
I write a REALLYSHITTY first draft and revise to a somewhat less shitty second draft. I start at the beginning and go straight through to the end as many times as it takes until I feel it's readable- At that point my agent and then editor makes suggestions I go back and look at those parts and then I go from the beginning to the end again to smooth it out.

Forbidden Snowflake · Oct 7, 2007

I have to make sure I don't start re-drafting everytime I take a WIP into my hands to continue writing. I could start re-drafting after I've written the first paragraph. It's one of my biggest problems and my biggest struggle. So, I do try and put it away for a whole month.

mirrorkisses · Oct 7, 2007

ORION said:
Sorry we just posted at the same time where you clarified your question-
I write a REALLYSHITTY first draft and revise to a somewhat less shitty second draft.

ha! Sounds A LOT like me.

My story is pretty much in the shitty stage right now, but the first scene of the first chapter is immaculate. The reason is that I wrote it last spring and didn't really have time to write a story with my classes going on, so I just kept polishing it. It's really great... I just hope I can get the rest of the work as good as the first scene is.

mirrorkisses · Oct 7, 2007

Forbidden Snowflake said:
I have to make sure I don't start re-drafting everytime I take a WIP into my hands to continue writing. I could start re-drafting after I've written the first paragraph. It's one of my biggest problems and my biggest struggle. So, I do try and put it away for a whole month.

If I find myself out of ideas (I don't really get writer's block, just lapses sometimes), I just say to myself "I'll won't touch it for a week," and quit messing with it. Usually I have an idea by the next day. I think it's that putting it to rest in my mind that gives me some time to relax.

joyce · Oct 7, 2007

Every time I pick up my WIP I generally go back over the last thing I wrote first, just to get a feel again of where I was going. If I see something that I feel needs changing I will do it at that time. I guess I'm always editing a little bit while I'm writing. When it's finished I go through it again for a massive fix. I then give it to a friend who reads it and points out things they might see. Then it's back to the editing table again. Sometimes I think I'm editing more than I'm writing.

scarletpeaches · Oct 7, 2007

What I do is speed-type the first draft, aiming for 50k words. I stole the idea from NaNo.

For the second draft, I handwrite, and take as long as I need to get the story 'right'.

Thirdly, I type back onto the laptop in manuscript format and if I've done the 2nd draft well, I only have to correct minor details and typos (or should that be writos)?

I don't edit as I go, especially with the speed-typed first draft, as that's all about speed over substance. While I'm writing the second draft I try to get things perfected as I go, or as near as dammit, so the third draft will be a simple matter of transcribing.

Scrawler · Oct 7, 2007

I write in layers and move around to different parts of my story. For example, today I'm not feeling chapter 3 and am working on chapter 12. I've already developed a very clear and expansive outline and synopsis, so I can pick up and write or rewrite where I feel it. I might rewrite chapter 16 twice before I finish chapter 6.
This works for me.

Jamesaritchie · Oct 7, 2007

Draft

I rewrite the page I'm working on as I go, nothing before. I don't like "re-draft" because this suggest doing multiple drafts, and I really do only one. My second "draft" is just a polish draft.

Elodie-Caroline · Oct 7, 2007

That's how I do it too. I find that I come up with other ideas and even enough of them for extra chapters doing it this way.
I have days where I don't want to write and/or don't feel very creative, so I use these days to flip to a chapter that I feel might need some work doing and just edit or fill in that particular one.

Elodie

Scrawler said:
I write in layers and move around to different parts of my story. For example, today I'm not feeling chapter 3 and am working on chapter 12. I've already developed a very clear and expansive outline and synopsis, so I can pick up and write or rewrite where I feel it. I might rewrite chapter 16 twice before I finish chapter 6.
This works for me.

a_sharp · Oct 7, 2007

It's gratifying to see so many others writing as I do--edit as I go, rewrite as needed, keep pressing on--but I'm not sure what it proves other than "I've got company."

The reason I write that way is that I've done front-to-back drafts in the past and found that my rewrite was a wholesale overhaul ("did I really write that junk? What was I thinking? That doesn't work anymore. I changed her name. The villain is taking over my story!).

So I try to follow a rough outline, which itself gets revised from time to time because for me writing is a discovery process. I discover new plot directions, conflicts, character nuances, that improve the story, and this requires going back for changes, sometimes scrapping whole scenes or chapters, shuffling same, etc. This is how I write, and eventually the whole thing comes together.

For one book, I was about half-way through when I conceived a better ending. So I jumped ahead and wrote the last chapter, then with that as a target, the remainder of the book came together almost in one draft.

Prawn · Oct 7, 2007

I don't edit, or even spell check as I write. If I forget something, I might go back and write "Have him meet Mr. Clean here" By the time I finish, I am ready to look at the beginning with fresh eyes.

Shadow_Ferret · Oct 7, 2007

My first few attempts at novels, I only made it 4 chapters in and I started to rewrite and edit those 4 chapters until they were perfect. I became obsessed with making those chapters perfect and I think I did it because I was afraid to continue. I had something like 4 or 5 novels all stuck at chapter 4.

It wasn't until I allowed myself to just keep writing, to let it not be perfect, that I finally finished a novel.

AJ Clare · Oct 7, 2007

I rewrite a lot as I go. I have a bad habit of writing entire paragraphs, looking at them sideways, squinting, writing them off as crap, deleting them and starting all over again. I can't face anything that's TOO messy in a second edit because I'm a very lazy editor. If I just kind of put everything down on the page as it comes and then know I have to go back and face it then the mere thought of doing so just defeats me.

Every year I try and break this habit by doing NaNo and every year I fail after about twenty thousand words. Seat of the pants scribbling and redrafting later just doesn't seem to be my style.

mirrorkisses · Oct 7, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
My first few attempts at novels, I only made it 4 chapters in and I started to rewrite and edit those 4 chapters until they were perfect. I became obsessed with making those chapters perfect and I think I did it because I was afraid to continue. I had something like 4 or 5 novels all stuck at chapter 4.

It wasn't until I allowed myself to just keep writing, to let it not be perfect, that I finally finished a novel.

I don't know what perfect is when it comes to my work... I just keep working on it until I don't have anything else to add, and I know it's good when I can go back after writing a few chapters, read it, and say, "whoah, I wrote that?!"

Voyager · Oct 7, 2007

"I don't do a written draft. I work only on the computer and I do one page at a time. I work on a page 20, 30, 40 drafts, whatever it takes, before I move on to the next page. That way I feel that I've done as much as I can on that page and have left nothing to correct later. So that when I get a draft done, it has had so much reworking during the course of it that I don't need to go back and revisit things. I do this because I operate with a lot of self doubt and my way of handling the self doubt is to rework a page until I've got it as smooth as I can get it and then to move on. Then the self doubt starts up again on the very next page, but I deal with that page as a separate unit." Dean Koontz
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0553804812/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

While this would drive me nuts, I do go over each chapter until I feel it's decent before I move on to the next one. Just goes to show, though, everyone has their own way of doing stuff.

jodiodi · Oct 8, 2007

I write and edit as I go until I've finished the first draft. Then I go back and read to make sure it flows and make additions, corrections, deletions and other editorial decisions on the way through the read. I may do a third draft, just to mke certain everything works and to look for plot holes, but I seldom rewrite more than that. I only have one file for my novel as far as drafts go, and edit within that one file. I keep a file of cut scenes in case I need to go back and pull something out.

ccarver30 · Oct 8, 2007

I finished mine after a lot of years then realized it was crap. I basically started over with a new version of my plot. I am SO much happier with this draft!!!

maestrowork · Oct 8, 2007

Personally, I have done the "re-drafting" as you put it, and I've forged on as well. I find moving on is the best approach for me because I have a tendency to obsess over the rewrite to make it perfect. Right now, if I have changed my mind or if something didn't work, I would just go back and put a note (in bold red) and then later put another note in the new material such as "X is not blind anymore; I've changed my mind" and just keep moving. I try not to obsess over the first draft -- it's meant to be jumbled and incomplete, and that's what notes and comments and bookmarks in Word are for.

maestrowork · Oct 8, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
I became obsessed with making those chapters perfect and I think I did it because I was afraid to continue. I had something like 4 or 5 novels all stuck at chapter 4.

I think that's a very fair statement, at least for me. Usually when I start to obsess over rewrite while working on a first draft is when I "don't want to continue."

re-drafting: how do *you* do it?

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re-drafting: how do you do it?