After editing my WIP this week, I'm back on the path and out of the mud. The problem with my last two chapters was the timeline. A series of events had to happen, and the timing made a difference. In my first draft, time stood still. If my story were sci-fi or fantasy, that might work, but it's not.
I love the feeling of having written and edited the first twenty thousand words before moving on. I feel like I'm standing on solid ground and feel confident this novel will be successful. Writing the rest of it should be relatively easy...in theory.
I got a lot of suggestions earlier this week to just let the story flow in whatever direction it wanted and to edit later. That's generally good advice, but this story requires precision. Everything that happens is intertwined with the rest of the story; every detail is interdependent like the pieces of a multi-dimensional puzzle. Not all stories are like that, but this one is.
I have an abundance of time this weekend to continue working on my WIP, and I'm meeting with two beta readers next week to review the critiques of my previous novel. I'm feeling very optimistic, despite the promise of another gloomy, rainy weekend.
I edit as I go along too. It helps to clear the path as you say for writing in the future.
ReplyDelete...geez, I envy your free weekend ;)
ReplyDeleteEditing as you go will prevent major delays in the long run.
Good luck!
El
Editing as you go works sometimes. Just because avoiding it is good advice in the general sense, doesn't mean it applies in your specific one. Glad you're back on track and ready to go.
ReplyDeletePrecision always takes place after the creative process. At least it does for me. Right now, that's where I'm at correcting certain details. One of the characters is a trucker. A subject I know absolutely nothing about. So its taking research and interviews of peeps in the profession. Mostly how to drive a rig and what they look like inside.
ReplyDeleteYou edit the way that works for you and your story. I'm just so desperate to get the darn thing on paper that I plow through to the end. Of course, the perfectionist in me forces me to write every sentence with care...
ReplyDeleteHi Tonja! I think it's good that you follow the process that works for you - suggestions are well-intended, but they ignore an important thing - people are different! I like to write and edit solidly all along the way. As you say, it creates a solid foundation, especially if you have things that need to tie together. It hasn't inhibited the free flow of ideas for me at all. That's what works for me.
ReplyDeleteMichael - My NaNo novel was a mess this year because I kept writing even though the plot had gone astray. The amount of edits I need to do on that one is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteElliot - Thanks for stopping by. I squandered most of my writing time with cleaning. And I took a nap.
Rusty - Thanks. I try not to edit while I'm writing the first draft of a chapter. I think that can squash the creativity for sure.
Shelly - I agree with you, research can wait. :) My second cousin was a truck driver. He weighed like 450 pounds and slept in a little cubby behind the driver's seat.
Alex - That's awesome you're writing another one. You're next on my to-read list.
Melissa - For me the second draft is very creative. I agree, we have to do what works for us. I also think it's awesome how generous this writing community is with advice. It's good to not learn everything the hard way. :)
Congrats on "being on track!" That's half the battle, in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean about precision. I can't just let the story go freely, but that's just me. I want to be in control.
The key is making sure that the reader doesn't KNOW a writer is in control.
Bryce - Thank you. I agree. It should seem like it is the story and there's no other way for the story to be. That's the fun of it, right? :)
ReplyDelete