Wednesday, May 30, 2012

It's Not About Writing

It's about Re-writing.


I think somebody famous said that. (Now, this is just like a LOLcat on the Cheeseburger, where you go back and read the title after you've already started reading the text.)



I love the way my current work starts out. It's all quest, all the time. Then the BIG EXCITING THING happens. And then proceeds several telly talky chapters that brings the thing to a grinding halt. Glory Hallelujah, will someone set something on fire so these people do something? Who wrote this crap?? Oh, wait.

So it appears we need more than just an edit. We need a re-write. A re-imagine. I have to flesh out some of the stuff my characters stand around talking about instead of.... you know, having them stand around... talking about it. Let's hope it goes better than this blog post is going so far.

I just wish I would have seen this earlier. I mean... I've edited the thing twice. Two times. Dos. You'd think I'd pick up on the lack of awesome. Which is a rather terrifying prospect. What else about this thing doesn't work, you know? It's enough to make you doubt your faith in the rest of it. I guess that's where you have to straddle that fine line between trusting your instincts and being honest with yourself. I think I knew these problems were there, I just hoped the general awesome of the first 2/3rds of the book was going to swing the reader on through the suck. So I'm going to fix what I think needs a fixin', and then let the beta readers sort out the rest.

5 comments:

  1. Have faith. Keep plugging and twisting and reinventing. And you will triumph!

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  2. I just want to get done with the first draft so I can move on to the editing. I'm sooo slow!

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  3. Hizzizle: thank you my friend. :) I shall persevere.

    KE: I got 4 novels written before I started any serious edits. I don't recommend it. :)

    thanks for comin' to the blog, guys.

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  4. Too funny--kind of wrote a similar blog post this week! Keep at it and your end result will surely be an amazing product! And remember: don't get too attached to what you've written. When it comes to words, sometimes deleting them is better.

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  5. Indeed.... thank you for reading, and it just shows: great minds must think alike! :)

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