Last May, I finished a rewrite of my first book. This is the first draft written under a newly redesigned plot and story structure. While much of the story follows the same lines as the original, this new take should allow for more consistency moving forward.
I began by reading through the draft, after allowing some time to let things settle in my mind. The goal with reading at that stage was to make some preliminary marks and comments for when I began my revisions. My husband read the draft with the same goal in mind, and as we started comparing notes, I am heartened by the fact that we seem to be catching the same stuff in most places, though the spots where our comments differ provide an opportunity to view the writing through a different lens.
Like most writers, I previously held the opinion that editing was almost inherently less pleasurable than the initial writing. During my most recent read through my book, a new thought occurred to me: Editing was my opportunity to smooth out the rough edges in my draft and fix some of the plot issues that slipped under the radar during the initial writing.
Perhaps this new understanding is easier to recognize in light of the fact that this version is less cringe-worthy than other attempts at writing this novel (a lot has change with regard to both my writing style/ability, and my understanding of the story and it’s world since I began this journey thirteen years ago).
Perhaps it is because when I look at this draft, I can appreciate the spots where it turned out well. While the draft isn’t perfect, I don’t see its flaws as a roadblock on this journey. Instead, when I see the areas that need work, I see them for what they really are: Potential. In this draft, I see the potential to make this story all that it was meant to be.
I can look at the story, the characters, the characters, and all the details that don’t line up and say, “This isn’t quite right.”
The ability to know where some element of the story is not what it should be, coupled with the ability to see the potential in this novel, seems to indicate a certain level of intimacy with the story and characters that is beyond what I held previously. That is a rather empowering thought, and the timing could not be better given that I stand at the doorway, about to embark on the editing process.
Some exciting steps are on the horizon, including completing this round of revisions (now in the retyping phase), getting in touch with my beta readers, and planning a Kickstarter for my novel.
Stay tuned for more updates in this writerly journey!
What projects are you working on? How do you approach the revision process? Let me know in the comments!
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