WHAT I'M READING:
I just finished Kill You Last by Todd Strasser and loved it! It's a 2012 Edgar Award nominee for best Young Adult. Today I'll start reading The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall, another nominee.
HOW MY WRITING'S GOING:
I am so excited to be writing the second draft of my new ms. Things are flowing so much more smoothly than they did in the first draft. Now if I could just disable the internet on my laptop until 6pm everyday, I could get some serious writing done! :)
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
Now that I'm writing my second draft, I feel like I have a much better idea where I'm going and what needs to happen in each scene. And since I revised the first fifteen pages pretty heavily for the writer's retreat I'm going to later this month, I feel like I've got those down pretty well. So now I'm tempted to revise just as heavily with each new scene I write, which is something I've never done. Normally I zip through the draft as quickly as I can and then revise at the end. I've always thought what's the point of taking too much time revising when I'm probably going to still be making major changes anyway? But now that I feel like I have a good idea where I'm going with this draft, and I have the beginning in pretty good shape, I find myself wanting to keep the rest of it in just as good of shape so I'm not left with my usual mess at the end.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you revise as you go along, or do you zip through quickly and figure you'll clean it all up later?
34 comments:
Awwww wow you are off to a writer's retreat! That's just lovely! Good for you!!
I revise as I go along which is why I'm crawling at a snail's pace at the moment! LOL!
Congrats with your re-drafting - you sound truly happy and confident with your ms! Yay! Take care
x
I zip through and then I'm left with a massive mess to clean up. I changed so much in Draft 2 that Draft 3 is almost just as hard. Roar!
Yay! for your second draft. It's a great feeling to read what you wrote the first go-around and see all that potential.
Sigh...I tend to edit as I write but am desperately trying to stop doing that. I'm thinking about trying a fast draft when I start my new project.
That's good news! Since I struggle with first drafts, I really enjoy that first revision because the story is down on paper and I can see it clearly. Most of my major changes happen in the first couple drafts as I plow through the manuscript from beginning to end. On occasion, I change something big later on as well.
I loved Wish You Were Dead. I'm going to have to check out Todd's newer books. They look great!!!!
For the second draft and third drafts, I whip through the ms to get the big picture things (plot and characterization), then I tear things apart and heavily revise each scene (when characterization, setting, emotions, get more fine tuning).
Oh, I'm jealous about your writer's retreat!
In fact, I'm jealous about your second draft. I really struggle with first drafts, and although I'm kind of excited about the new WIP I started over Spring Break, I have distinct moments of panic, wondering if everything will work out or if this is something I'll abandon halfway though (like my last one).
I love the security of the second draft -- knowing one version of the story is complete and likewise knowing what has to be changed and fixed.
As for revising -- I edit as I go, but leave plot and character revisions for subsequent drafts.
I love that second draft portion, but find I work so darn hard on it, wanting it to be perfect!
I tend to write straight through - but if something's really bugging me I go back. :)
I've always been a write through then go back kinda writer. But I am doing it differently with this second novel, for one thing, I'm using the same characters from SEVENTY-TWO HOURS. I'm revising as I go. I like it. I write a chapter then revise it. That way, revisions won't seem so daunting when it's time to make another pass through.
Disable the internet. Yeah. I'm there. :-)
Congratulations on the second draft. That's always so great to see the story develop and deepen. I write until I can't come up with something. Then I take a break, come back and edit before plunging ahead again.
You sure are doing great!!!
Hope you had a nice Easter weekend, Suzie, if you're celebrating :)
I hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend and that the second draft goes well.
I do so many drafts the editing process merges with the writing process.
I agree about the internet! Such a distraction.
Susan, I see a theme in your reading...
I'm happy to hear your second draft is going smoother. For my last manuscript, I revised as I went along. What a difference!
Rewrites can be a pain sometimes--and other times kinda fun. When the work of getting it "done" is over and it is a matter of spicing it up and tweaking it--it can really be rewarding.
My MS is making the rounds in New York right now with my agent. Nail biting time!
I definitely do the zip-through quickly thing. I wish I had as much confidence in my second drafts... I'm on the third go round and there still seem to be lots of holes!
Glad your second draft is going well! I'm definitely one to zip through and then go back. If I allow myself to self-edit before finishing I'll NEVER finish.
Great post! Loved reading your process!
Enjoy your writers retreat!
I'm happy to hear about your great progress!
I usually edit as I write, hoping that it will make the revision process less painful, but it didn't help with my most recent MS. I still have a ton of revising to do this time around. Oh well.
I have 2nd draft envy. I usually do a straight through 2nd draft and then after that I bring out the microscope to go chapter by chapter until each is shiny.
I revise a little as I go, enough to clean it up and figure out where I've been, in order to progress further! I can't stand working in clutter. I don't polish it totally, but at least so everything major seems in place. Good luck with your second draft!!
I try to zip through my manuscript and then tidy up after, looking first at the big issues and working my way down to the finer details.
I too should disable the internet while writing hahaha.
WTG! I can't wait to read the whole ms! Or hear about how the retreat went. Wish I was going with you, but I'm not ready.
So the chapter book manuscripts I have written I edited and revised as I went, but on the novel I'm working on I'm not I writing scene by scene and moving on. Don't know if I'm doing it right since I've never attempted a novel...I guess we'll see when you read it. :)
Yay, Susan!
I do revise a lot while I write. I guess it's just habit. Good luck with your second draft! :)
Sounds like you're making good progress. I have such a hard time with first drafts. As a result, I try to get through them a quickly as possible--very little revising until the first draft is done.
Yay for you revising the second draft and knowing where you're going with it. What a great feeling, huh? I've done both and I find that waiting until the end works better for me!
Hi Susan,
Great post.
Congratulations! You won the Fiona Lowe giveaway of her RITA nominated BOOMERANG BRIDE at Romance Book Paradise!
I'm working on a second draft, too. This is the draft that I really start to know my characters better and understand more what motivates them and how to capture their voice.
Luck to us both!
Angela
I'm glad your writing is coming along.
I try to zip through, but sometimes I go back.
I'll check out those books.
I revise as I go.
My revising goes according to mood, like everything else in my life (exercise, or lack of it, chocolate, or too much of it- grin).
I also read your answers to the tagged questions - Greece is at the top of my list too! I've been to Switzerland and it's wonderful - the prettiest mountains and villages I've ever seen.
I revise differently with each story, it seems. I guess it depends on my frame of mind.
Have a good weekend! :)
I hope you had a good weekend, Susan.
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