I owe 50 pages to a good friend I've never even met.My beta reader and I trade our novels in 50-page increments every other Wednesday. I don't have a nifty name for this process, but it helps my novel like you wouldn't believe.
I'm sure some people write beautiful, balanced novels on their first draft, but my first draft resembled Frankenstein's monster. Large sections were bulbous and ugly, but stitched together none-the-less. Other sections were as skinny as if they were mere bones. I hadn't hung any meat on them yet.
For months, when I looked at my manuscript, I had a hard time editing. It was a giant uneven monster that knew my innermost feelings and could topple and crush me at any time.
Scary.
Now, I put on my white coat and examine one limb at a time. 50 pages / 2 weeks = time to slow down and really figure out what's going on.
I've read a lot of drafts that seem like a collection of scenes with sections throughout that read like this: and then this happened, and then this happened, and then this--don't worry we're getting to a good part soon.
And I so don't want that. I want every part of my novel to be extraordinary, and significant, and essential. I want to transform this monster into a real live drop-dead gorgeous dude so I can be proud to stroll around New York with him.
Do you have some innovative way to revise? Some trick of the trade that is helping you like no other method has?
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Yes I do. My secret is sending my MS to this mastermind Marie. She points out all my "splaining" and other stuff I can't see. I don't know what I'd do without her. I'd give you her contact info but I don't want her to get distracted from her current WIP cuz I'm addicted to her story and want more. ;)
ReplyDeleteOMG Karen, you're embarrassing me!
ReplyDeleteJK. I love praise. I am going to do a post on "splaining" soon.
Yes! It helps so much to get other people's ideas about what isn't working. I can only edit so much on my own, and then I really need an outside opinion--or three :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your revision process. :)
ReplyDeleteI doubt there are many writers out there who've been able to write beautiful, balanced novels in the first draft!
ReplyDeleteThat's not even what a first draft is for. I think many bestselling novelists would probably tell us that they use the first draft to figure out everything from "What is my story?" to "Is this gonna fly as a book?" And a lot of that has to be done in retrsospect, after you've got some material down.
You are SO doing it right!
I do have a trick for another way to look at a manuscript: "another pair of eyes," so to speak. I discovered this when I was writing my screenplay. Look at it in Print Preview. You'll be amazed how this different view can show you things you didn't notice before.
I mostly used this trick for the editing and proofreading stage--but that's because I didn't think of it sooner. I reckon it might be very helpful for that stage when you are looking carefully at your stitches and trying to imagine ways to expand or deepen (or even chop and take a different path to the next set of sutures).
There's something about seeing it in that Print Preview screen--even though your text will be smaller--that really makes things pop out.
If you try it and get any insights, I'd love to hear about them. I plan to write a blog article about this technique over at Screenwriting in the Boonies.
Best of luck with it! ~ Milli
Having some background in software, I am mulling over the term beta reader being applied to fiction writing.
ReplyDeleteMarie, I've written an article about the joys of rewriting. When I publish it on my blog, may I have permission to quote you as follows (with a link back to your blog, of course :~)
ReplyDelete“My first draft resembled Frankenstein's monster. Large sections were bulbous and ugly, but stitched together nonetheless. Other sections were as skinny as if they were mere bones. I hadn't hung any meat on them yet.
“Now, I put on my white coat and examine one limb at a time. 50 pages / 2 weeks = time to slow down and really figure out what's going on.”
Milli,
ReplyDeleteOf course you can use that quote. Thank you.
The only thing I like more than quoting is being quoted!