THE JOY OF REVISION
I've begun this New Year revising a romantic-suspense novella some of my readers are very familiar with. They heard this story, a creation from a class, when I joined the challenge of my students to write from that one-line prompt. As they, and readers of this blog, remember it, I was only going to create a short story to be shared in that one class. Instead, it took on a life of its own and became a novella.
I wrote a chapter a week--albeit a rough showing in my estimation. I produced 25,000 words, a work that now needs revising, additional scenes written (including more intimate romantic ones), and a bit of "plumping" up of descriptions.
Beginning this New Year writing, even revising, is just the way I want to begin 2009.
Due to life getting in the way so often last year, the goals I set for my creative side did not play out. I plan for this year to be different, much different. So, on January 1, and for these days since, I have done some serious work.
What did I do first? I took out that story and read it thoroughly for grammatical errors and typos. Never depend on your Microsoft/cumputer programs to do this for you. While doing this, I also attempted to "tighten" up my manuscript, looked for excess words, and adjusted my tenses (that passive/active problem often haunts my work).
When I began writing, as I said, I thought this was a short story. That's before the characters and the plot and the puzzle took over. I've never believed a story can write itself but that first draft poured out onto the screen, week after week. But it wasn't complete.
We all know such things as character descriptions must be kept to a minimum in a short story, but when turned into a novella or book, it's a different way with words. My characters now have to be properly, and thoroughly, introduced. I reaffirm my characters names; Jana Crowley and Cameron Walker, do not have similar-sounding names. I was amazed this week while reading the review of a new romance where the main characters names were Jerrod and Jennifer. I commented to myself that the author had broken one of the first rules of character creation. And still sold the novel and saw it published!
Today, I've managed a few pages of revisions. As I said, I need to add the "filler" stuff so I'm working on that, chapter by chapter. When I've done with revisions, I will once again do a grammatical/typo check, and repeat the rest of the self-editing process. Finally, my writer-friend, Diana, has offered to give that final critique. If you don't have someone to share work with, both of you offering critiques and suggestions, and especially support, find someone. They (and you) are an invaluable asset.
Will there be more rewrites? Maybe. More corrections? Definitely. This is what we all have to go through to offer our best to a publisher or editor, and finally to the reading world.
I wrote a chapter a week--albeit a rough showing in my estimation. I produced 25,000 words, a work that now needs revising, additional scenes written (including more intimate romantic ones), and a bit of "plumping" up of descriptions.
Beginning this New Year writing, even revising, is just the way I want to begin 2009.
Due to life getting in the way so often last year, the goals I set for my creative side did not play out. I plan for this year to be different, much different. So, on January 1, and for these days since, I have done some serious work.
What did I do first? I took out that story and read it thoroughly for grammatical errors and typos. Never depend on your Microsoft/cumputer programs to do this for you. While doing this, I also attempted to "tighten" up my manuscript, looked for excess words, and adjusted my tenses (that passive/active problem often haunts my work).
When I began writing, as I said, I thought this was a short story. That's before the characters and the plot and the puzzle took over. I've never believed a story can write itself but that first draft poured out onto the screen, week after week. But it wasn't complete.
We all know such things as character descriptions must be kept to a minimum in a short story, but when turned into a novella or book, it's a different way with words. My characters now have to be properly, and thoroughly, introduced. I reaffirm my characters names; Jana Crowley and Cameron Walker, do not have similar-sounding names. I was amazed this week while reading the review of a new romance where the main characters names were Jerrod and Jennifer. I commented to myself that the author had broken one of the first rules of character creation. And still sold the novel and saw it published!
Today, I've managed a few pages of revisions. As I said, I need to add the "filler" stuff so I'm working on that, chapter by chapter. When I've done with revisions, I will once again do a grammatical/typo check, and repeat the rest of the self-editing process. Finally, my writer-friend, Diana, has offered to give that final critique. If you don't have someone to share work with, both of you offering critiques and suggestions, and especially support, find someone. They (and you) are an invaluable asset.
Will there be more rewrites? Maybe. More corrections? Definitely. This is what we all have to go through to offer our best to a publisher or editor, and finally to the reading world.
posted by Barb | 6:50 PM
5 Comments:
Hi, Barb.
I found your blog a few days ago. (All this time??)
I have too many characters and too many first names with the same initials. It looks as if I have a lot of revision ahead of me.
Joan, this is a problem for all of us at one time or the other. Don't despair. Create a new name for one of your characters, go into find/replace and write on.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. It's a compliment to the writer when you offer your comments. Hugs to you and the best in 2009.
I usually make a chart and fill in the names in an attempt to spread them across the alphabet. I also try to vary the lengths of names. And I still run into trouble. This is another place where having a friend read your story over can really help.
Diana, a chart is a great idea. I make a list of the characters I am using in particular stories on my whiteboard. In talking abount names recently with writer friends, I find that we all have favorites and, if we look back over short stories and some old work, find that we have used that name more than once. But we try to watch the same initial thing. Thanks for commenting.
Ooh, I know that feeling. At one time it seemed like a lot of my female characters were named "Karen," and a lot of my male characters were surnamed "Edwards." I don't know why those two names attracted me.
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