Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Rewrites…A Blessing or a Bane?



How many drafts do you typically create for your manuscripts? Are you a revision hound or do you prefer the inspiration of that first draft? How do you know when you’ve gotten it just right?

I’ve received some great reviews from readers and critique partners for my book The Long Defeat, but I’ve also gotten some really good feedback I want to incorporate into my story. So, I’m back at it again, doing substantial rewrites in order to make my manuscript even sharper. Once upon a time I might have frowned at so many revisions, but now I engage in my rewrites with enthusiasm, knowing that each time I re-craft my novel it makes my story that much better.

Revisions are certainly necessary, but how do you go about them? Do you completely rewrite a section or make more moderate edits throughout? In short, are rewrites a blessing or a chore for you?

21 comments:

  1. This is a good question. I like to make moderate revisions rather than rewrites wherever possible. I wouldn't say I enjoy it, but knowing that it will make the story stronger makes it worthwhile!

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  2. Rewrites are both a blessing (the story becomes sharper) and a chore (because one does not know which section to completely rewrite and which suggestion to overlook as it may clash with our visionfor the story).
    Like Kyra I too like to make moderate revisions keeping my CP's feedbacks in mind and in some places there is drastic revision.

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  3. Oh, I just put them away for another day. Lol

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  4. I LOVE revisions! I probably do at least 1 I can consider an actual rewrite...and then 3 or 4 edits.

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  5. They're definitely a TON of work, but it's so worth it when the fourth or fifth draft really shines.

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  6. I enjoy re-writes when I'm actually working on them. I know it's going to make my story better, so it's good. But dragging my butt and sitting down to actually work on them, well, that's a different story :)

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  7. Rewrites are inevitable. But there is a point where a rewrite takes out what was so darn interesting or involving in the first place.

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  8. I've found revising only makes my stories better. I don't mind revising, and sometimes I enjoy it, because of new twists and turns that suddenly appear the second or third time around. I guess it's mostly intuition that tells me when it's finished, and what my beta readers say.

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  9. Hello Mark:
    This must be one of the most arduous tasks of a writer. Have given birth to the ideas all fresh and new, to revisit can be a dispiriting task. But, as you say, it is this act of 'crafting' that really makes a difference to the finished product.....that is if it is ever really finished?!!

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  10. Around five edits for me. I kinda groom the story, chipping off bits here, adding other bits. Changing the flavour of the dialog etc. Good fun.

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  11. They're totally a blessing to me! I love how much better, layered, polished, and interesting my book gets with each round. I went through 11 rounds with my last before querying, another with my agent, and now I'm starting into a round or two with my editor. I LOVE LOVE LOVE revising! I think it makes the difference between a good book and a great one.

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  12. I might be addicted to revisions. I usually go through about 6 rounds, not including times here and there that I just open the document and make a quick wording change.

    I almost never believe in my first drafts, because I know that mine suck. I rely on several pairs of eyes to help me turn that first draft into something that I'd eventually submit to agents or publishers.

    Good luck with your revisions!

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  13. I'm a constant revisionist. I don't work in "drafts" exactly. I continually write and rewrite and tweak and rearrange. BUT after i let a manuscript sit for a few months, that always feels like a brand new draft when I pick it up to tackle it again. A really important step for clarity. :)

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  14. My focus has been nonfiction but I find I spend too much revising instead of drafting...I really think I spend 50% of my time on th efirst 2 or 3 chapters and another 50% on the last 10, for example, and they just don;t get as much attention...with my current project I saw myself falling into that trap, so I stopped the revising and am just trying to get a certain number of words down on paper each day FIRST and then "treat" myself with revising. Baby steps!

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  15. I actually love revisions. I feel like I'm molding something useful out of the ugly lump of clay that is my first draft. Right now I'm at the point in my new wip that I'm making overall plotting revisions. Once I get that done, I can start shining up the actual writing.

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  16. Rewrites are both blessings and chores for me. I dawdle forever before getting around to them; then once immersed in them, I get as inspired in the rewrite as I did in the original, because I can see by then how to improve the story or make characters more believable, etc. The feedback from other writers helps me to write a much better ensuing draft. I just keep rewriting until it feels done. Then I get feedback again, in case it isn't, and often by then, the tweaks are minor -- but they improve it! Where would we be without our beta readers?

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  17. I enjoy revisions! It's the first draft I dread.

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  18. The fact that I'm here, browsing and commenting on blogs instead of getting on and finishing my current revision, says it all :D

    For me, it's a necessary evil. I thought my ms was good after some rounds of critiques, then another go with a different critique group resulting in so much tightening up I can't believe I ever thought the previous version was any good. So I understand the benefit. But there are pitfalls too. My opening chapter almost got the life sucked out of it at one point because of all the conflicting feedback I was trying to incorporate. Very much a case of caveat emptor.

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  19. I have no typical rewrite number. I keep rewriting until it's done. I look at the big picture first--the plot and structure--and start moving into the little details--the wording, grammar etc.

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  20. I'm still learning about this process, so I don't really know what works for me yet. I've started small, so at least I feel like I've accomplished something :-)

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  21. I love rewriting. My favorite part of all is the polishing.

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