Books on Writing

I don't usually read books on the craft of writing. Most of them offer techniques I already utilize or ones that don't work for me or that I don't agree with.

That being said, a friend and fellow author offered to loan me her copy of Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Dave King and Rennie Brown. She insists it's one of the best books she's read on writing or editing/revising. Her copy is from the original printing in 1994. She swears the information is still relevant despite the age of the book. (There are updated versions as well.)

Revisions and/or editing is my least favorite part of the writing process. Because of that I'm going to take her up on her offer and borrow the book from her in a few weeks after I finish reading the books I borrowed from the library. Hopefully, it will help make the revision process easier, or at least more enjoyable, for me.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work In Progress):  I started working on revisions of Honor Bound on Monday. 

Quote of the Week: "Make it happen. Shock everyone." ~ Unknown

What I'm Reading: I started reading Pipe Dreams by Sarina Bowen. This is the third book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series. I really like this series and am hoping it continues.  

Random Thoughts: It's been really hard to get my brain back on the editing/revision wavelength the last couple of days after taking so much time off from writing. I know it'll get easier as I get back into the swing of things, but right now my thoughts are hopping around from one editing thing to another making it hard to concentrate on one issue at a time.

Random Photo of the Week:

I came across this on the internet and had to use it as my photo of the week because it perfectly depicts how I'm feeling as I get back to work on my current manuscript. 

 

First Draft vs. Revisions

I've found that many of the writers that I've spoken with prefer to work on revisions, edits, or rewrites than write the first draft of a novel.

I'm the exact opposite. I find it much easier to write the first draft than have to go back through the completed work and look for plot holes, proper grammar and sentence structure, pacing, and inconsistencies such as changes in hair and eye color or names, and time of day or the timeline in general... The list goes on and on.

One of the reasons I prefer to write a first draft than work on editing or revisions is while I try to use proper grammar and keep inconsistencies to a minimum during that first draft, I don't sit there obsessively worrying whether I'm following the "rules" and such. The words usually flow from my fingers to the keyboard. When I'm working on edits or revisions, I feel like the words come in drips and drabs if I have to flesh out a scene or add a new one. I'm too worried about those rules, whether everything flows and makes sense etc.

It seems to take me two or three times as long to revise a completed manuscript than it does to write a first draft. I'd like to find a way to do revisions/edits that doesn't take quite so long and doesn't make me want to pull my hair out during the process but at the same time, improves the novel to the point it is the best I can make it.

If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. :o)

Creating an Editorial Map

As you know I'm working on the revisions of my current manuscript. I came across an article from Janice Hardy's Fiction University on how to create an editorial map to help in the revision process. Here is the link: How to Create an Editorial Map

Ms. Hardy is also holding an At-Home Revision workshop in March. Details are on the Fiction University blog.

Revisions Round Two

With the start of a new year, I'm back to revising my manuscript in earnest. I wasted a lot of time the last part of 2015 playing at revising this book. I've already done one complete revision but it needs at least one more and then I'll send it out to a couple of people who read manuscript and let me know what they think.

My first quarterly goal is to have this book completely revised, sent out to readers, and ready for submission by the end of March. I plan on having all of the revisions done by the end of February.

During this second round of revisions I'll be looking for continuity, plot holes, secondary characters that appear and then disappear just as quickly, that the timeline of events makes sense, cliches, and character stereotypes. I'll also keep an eye out for any misspellings, incorrect grammar, missing words, and overuse of certain words. Two of my favorite words that I use way too often are "just" and "that." I've gotten better with "that" but "just" still sneaks into my work way too often.

I bought some colored ink pens yesterday while I was out shopping. I revise on paper so each color will stand out against the black ink. One color will be for dialogue changes/additions, another color will be for timeline issues, etc.

When Is Enough Enough?

Revising and editing a manuscript is all part of the writing process. Many writers, myself included, do multiple drafts of a novel stopping only when we're convinced we've written the best book we can. That's not to say an editor isn't going to request changes/revisions before the book goes to publication. That's a given and it helps make a good book great.

All writers want to submit the best book possible to their publisher, but there has to be a point in which the author believes the book is strong enough, well written enough to submit to that publisher or an agent.

The problem many writers have is letting a project go. We can revise a manuscript forever and in the process, edit the life right out of the story. I once knew a writer who revised her first chapter for months. She felt she couldn't move forward with the story until the first chapter was perfect. While there's nothing wrong with revising your work as you write it, but after 18 months that writer still had nothing written of her story except that first chapter. Her revisions became nothing more than changing a word here and there and then changing it back again.

I believe an author she admired told her a first chapter sells the rest of the story. She was so determined to write the first chapter perfectly that she became paralyzed by it and wasn't able to move forward. I'm not holding her up as an example of what not to do, but to show that all writers have to come to the decision that that last pass of edits and revisions is enough and to know that the draft is the best possible one at the time.

Reading and Writing

Most writers are book lovers and avid readers from a very young age. It's true for me as well. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood are related to books and reading. My mom would take us on bi-weekly trips to the local library. I always looked forward to those trips with anticipation, eager to find new books to read, new authors to love. Even today, I go to the library every two or three weeks and get out a stack of books.

I love to read, but becoming a writer changed reading for me. As I learned the mechanics of writing such as point of view, passive voice, showing versus telling, and the like, I found myself noticing these things in the books I read. At first it was just a passing notice when point of view changed, or passive voice was used, etc. Unfortunately as I grew as a writer, I had a harder and harder time turning off the editor in my brain.

While I still read a book in a week or so, there are times when I can't read a book because I notice things that a non-writing reader wouldn't necessarily notice.  My sister and I read a lot of the same books. Sometimes, she'll ask me if I've read a certain book and I'll be honest and say that I tried but couldn't finish it because of XYZ and she'll say, "I didn't even notice that." I wish I could turn off my internal editor when I'm reading for pleasure and turn it back on when working on my manuscripts. I'm sure I'm missing out on some great stories because of it.

Revise, Rewrite, Repeat

Barring any unexpected items that creep into my writing time, I should have the first draft of my current work in progress (WIP) finished by the end of this week. It's a long time coming. I've been working on this manuscript for approximately eight months, though not consistently which is why it's taken so long to complete.

Yet I know when I finally type "The End," it still isn't really completed. The revision/rewriting process begins. It usually takes me two, sometimes three, revisions/rewriting passes of the whole manuscript to get it ready for a beta reader to look at it. Then there is another round of edits cleaning up things the beta reader(s) remarked on.

Some people prefer the initial writing process over doing revisions, but I'm the opposite. An author is quoted as saying, "You can't revise a blank page." I'm paraphrasing here because I don't know the exact quote or the author. But in any case, I completely agree. It's easier to change what's already been written than it is to get the words down on paper in the first place.

Some of my favorite authors have said they write really crappy first drafts. It makes me wonder how much revision/rewriting they do once they finish that first draft because their books are so well written, so engrossing that I get lost in the story and usually hate to see it end. (Or we have vastly different definitions of what a crappy first draft is. :o) )

One thing is for certain, anyone who writes for publication whether it be a novel, short story, essay, poetry etc. knows that revision and rewriting is a huge part of the process. Some people look at as a necessary evil, something to be dreaded but done. I look at it as an opportunity to make a good story a great story. And when you finish a book I've written, I hope you'll think "great book" as you close the back cover.