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Tag: rewrite

Posted
April 22, 2015
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On Writing
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Skipping to the End

I am officially halfway through my rewrite! It feels amazing. So, guess what I’m going to do? I’m skipping to the end. Why, you ask? Because, after many rewrites of many first drafts, I’ve learned (finally) that writing the middle is almost impossible if you don’t know how the story is going to end. Some people say you should even write the end first.
I tried that and it didn’t really work for me. It didn’t work because the beginning is my favorite part to write. It’s the dating stage of a relationship where you get to know all of the little quirks that make your characters tick. It’s the foundation of the story. It’s world building. And it’s no fun if I know how it’s all going to play out. In the beginning, I just write. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not. I’m a pantster (no plan, no outline) at this stage. At about thirty pages, maybe more sometimes, I start to work out an outline and some character bios. The outline is loose, but I like to have a general idea about where I’m going.
And by the middle, I need to know EXACTLY where I’m going. That’s why I am starting to write the ending now. Then, if I need to throw in some earlier clues or a stronger lead-up, I can do this without having to rewrite the whole darn thing.

Posted
March 5, 2013
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Editing continued

I’ve been MIA for awhile now, but I do have my reasons. I’ve been editing like a mad woman. Here’s what it’s looking like: 

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I’ve broken my manuscript into 4 sections. This is the first. I printed it out and put it into a binder (I have a love for binders!). Then, I went through each page and highlighted repeating words, weak verbs, and “to be” verbs. I knew they were in there, but highlighting them really brings them to my attention. I go through the section a second time and attempt to fix and change all of the problems. I also keep a pile of sticky notes with me to write bigger problems I may have missed in my other rounds of editing. For example, I changed one of my character’s eye color in one of the edits and didn’t catch every reference to the change. 

On a side note, I’ve been making a ridiculously long list of strong action verbs. I’ll be posting that soon too. 

In addition to that, my muse suddenly decided to pay me a visit and I’ve been overloaded with ideas for 2 (that’s right TWO) more books. One of which is going to require a bit of research, so I’ve been tackling that as well. I have a binder for each of those projects as well! 

I hope to get back here soon!

Posted
February 8, 2013
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Friday Musings…

Song of the Day: Sail, by Awolnation

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This song epitomizes my first chapter. If ever I am editing or reworking it, I find the best place to start is with just listening. Anyway, today is Friday and I thought I’d just stop in and say Happy Friday to everyone. I haven’t been blogging much these days due to the rewrite I’ve been attempting. I am half way through and some days it feels like an uphill battle. Anything I can use to inspire another hour is worth it. What do you do to get inspiration?

Posted
January 14, 2013
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On Writing, Uncategorized
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Revise Day 1…The Plan

I’ve spent the last few weeks tweaking my query. Alas, I think I have it! But, in working on said query I now know that I have holes in my plot–as in, I completely forgot about it and got carried into the “B story.”

So, today will be my first day of Revising. I thought I’d let you all know the process I go through in doing this.

1. The first thing I did was import my file back into Scrivener. It’s been in Word the last couple of months to do basic edits. Scrivener is easier for me when I want to make global changes to a manuscript.

2. The next thing I did is separate the manuscript into sections according to my Save the Cat beat sheet.

3. This week I will focus solely on Section 1–roughly 7 chapters. During a quick read, I decided my MC needed a bit of a hobby. I’ve already made another one of my characters have a photography hobby, but since it served no real purpose, I am switching that hobby over to the MC where it will serve a better purpose. Also, my MC’s best friend needs to have more page time to really emphasize the connection between them–I am adding a scene later that will be stronger if this connection is made more clear.