As someone who's just starting their second draft, with major rewrites/replotting, this thread has been incredibly helpful. Thank you all so much for all your input!
The second draft... Struggling with editing
- Thread starter Makube
- Start date
I agree with everything Calder said.
I do a few things when revising:
1. Get the character arcs down for all of the major characters.
2. Know how you want it to end.
3. Rough broad outline that is a combination of what you already have and what you need to add/remove to get to your ending.
4. Split the story into manageable chunks (say 10,000 word chunks, or 40 or 50 pages). Start working on the first chunk. Make sure you’ve introduced all of the major characters, made their motivations clear, and set them onto their arc. Keep working on that first part until you feel like you have something good (this includes prose, grammar, everything). At this point I’ll show the first part to a couple of alpha readers who I know will be honest about what I have. If they’re digging it, I continue. If they didn’t like it, I find out why and go back. Each subsequent chunk gets easier.
5. Once you’ve finished all of the parts and your rewrite is complete, let it rest for a while and then revisit. If you’re still not happy with it, start at step 1 again.
I do a few things when revising:
1. Get the character arcs down for all of the major characters.
2. Know how you want it to end.
3. Rough broad outline that is a combination of what you already have and what you need to add/remove to get to your ending.
4. Split the story into manageable chunks (say 10,000 word chunks, or 40 or 50 pages). Start working on the first chunk. Make sure you’ve introduced all of the major characters, made their motivations clear, and set them onto their arc. Keep working on that first part until you feel like you have something good (this includes prose, grammar, everything). At this point I’ll show the first part to a couple of alpha readers who I know will be honest about what I have. If they’re digging it, I continue. If they didn’t like it, I find out why and go back. Each subsequent chunk gets easier.
5. Once you’ve finished all of the parts and your rewrite is complete, let it rest for a while and then revisit. If you’re still not happy with it, start at step 1 again.