Last spring I attended a writer’s festival where an author
gave a talk about writing.
It was one of those talks I don’t usually like, because he
gave us these iron-clad rules for writing:
1.
Only revise your work three times.
2.
Don’t revise unless someone pays you to do it.
3.
Keep sending out your work.
(And repeat)
I
didn’t agree with most of his points, but one thing he said is still sitting
with me. He said, “I don’t revise, I rewrite.” I asked him more about it, and
he explained that if you revise a scene too much (which he said often happens
in critique groups), you beat the life out of it. It’s better, he said, to
start over and write the scene again, so you don’t lose that vitality, that
force that drove you to write the scene in the first place.
Now
I don’t think it’s wrong to revise. I do it all the time and often on the
advice of CPs. But there’s been times where I couldn’t revise. The scene or the
book was so flawed that I needed to start over.
That’s
what I’m doing now. I recently received some feedback on a particular
manuscript that showed me I needed to basically start over. It wasn’t something
I wanted to do, because I’d already revised it plenty, and to me, all the words
are in the right places.
Boy,
did I hate staring at the blank page again.
But
once I started, it was amazing. I already know these characters, this setting
like the back of my hand. It was pure pleasure writing about them again, albeit
in a different way. Besides, I’m a different person and a different writer
since I first set down the first draft of them—18 months ago.
Now
I’m realizing that it may not be just a couple of scenes, but the whole book
that I’ll need to rewrite—that’s how much the tone and the voice has changed.
But
I am not afraid of the work. Although my goal is to be published, of course, my
first goal is be a better writer.
No
matter what ultimately happens with this rewrite, I will get better, that’s
guaranteed.
That is quite true when you think about it. I'm sure I've been guilty of it in the past. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for stopping by, Shari!
DeleteI rewrite more than I revise. I would probably like to hear that speaker though I wouldn't agree with those ironclad rules either.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very interesting talk. It definitely made me think.
DeleteI don't mind minor revisions, but if they're big, rewriting is easier. As you said, you can recapture and hold on to the passion.
ReplyDeleteI rewrote an entire manuscript once. It became my first published book. Proof rewriting can work!
That's so encouraging to hear, Alex! This is the second time I've rewritten a novel--so I'm hoping that it will be worth it.
DeleteI've done both. I'll revise if it's little things, but when there's too many little things not working or the revision seems to be making matters worse, I rewrite. For my new WIP, I started fresh and I'm much happier with the characters and the story.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's something about starting fresh. When I try to just revise, I am too in love with my words that I tend not to want to make any major changes. I'm glad starting fresh worked for you!
DeleteI would rather revise but that is an interesting concept and cool how you felt so passionate about it when rewriting. Love it when someone makes you think twice about something!
ReplyDeleteInteresting--I would rather revise, too, but it seems like I never get it right the first time and tend to have to rewrite the whole thing.
DeleteThe first version was practice. Now you're really going to write it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane! That really encourages me. :)
DeleteNo one can tell you set rules for writing - there are no absolutes. Everyone has a different mental process, and some chapters need to be re-written, some just need revision. You have to be the one that makes the decision. Great post.
ReplyDeleteAny chance I can convince you to lose the verification thingy?
Thanks, Tonja! That's so true--I keep learning that as I go. There is no right way to right--and it often changes with each book.
DeleteI've never tried to rewrite and I think it would make me cry! But I revise like crazy, and I can't imagine limiting revisions to three times only. I'm glad to hear it's flowing smoothly on the rewrite.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet another Jennifer (there's so few of us :))! I felt that same way at first. I've done this once before with another novel, and maybe that's why it's not so scary this time.
DeleteI can't imagine limiting myself to three revisions either...
Sounds to me like you really have this story now. And writing it will be a breeze!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liza! I hope so. :)
DeleteGreat points here, Jenni. I'm with you - I don't agree with that speaker at all - but I DO agree that sometimes you have to stop beating the dead horse of your poor scene, and just start over. Good for you for having the courage and determination to do that with your whole story! That is not easy, but hopefully it'll be smooth sailing from now on :)
ReplyDeleteSo true about how we can beat a dead horse with a scene (or a book). Thanks for the encouragement, Liz!
DeleteI have revised a scene so much I've killed its soul so yes, rewriting is the only answer. I don't mind which I do, as long as it makes the story better.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've done that too. I think that's what made me see I needed to do this rewrite. I so agree about making the story better being the main goal.
DeleteBoth are appropriate. Sometimes all that is needed is some detail-description, expansion. If the emotion is missing than a re-write is the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
I like what you say about emotion--yes, I think that and voice and character development are reasons while you need to start again.
DeleteI am right there with you. I just recently did a COMPLETE rewrite of my second novel. It is so amazing how much better it is. I just received many favorable reviews from Betas who had read the original and LOVE the new version so much more. So hang in there it will all work out!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michael! That's really encouraging to hear!
Deletei don't like getting advice that is so demanding and stingy. If he made suggestions and elaborated, saying they were more like guidelines, then that would be easier to grasp... i'm very glad you took what you needed and are having positive results! sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI so agree. I think it was the somewhat smug tone that put me off. But still, I thought what he said about beating a scene to death was right on.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
I totally do both. I completely agree about revitalizing a scene. Sometimes it comes out better the second time. Marissa Meyer (author of the Lunar Chronicles series) says she writes her first draft, then completely rewrites the book in her second draft. I think that's a great approach to take.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting! I didn't know Meyer did that. I think it makes sense. Now it's starting to feel like a new story to me, different, but better.
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Crystal!
I was lucky enough to meet her virtually just before her first book came out, and it was really interesting to get a peek into her approach.
DeleteIt's amazing what happens when you breathe new life into a story, eh?
So true--it's becoming a whole new (and hopefully better) book! That's awesome that you got to meet her. It's always fun to pick author's brains about their process.
DeleteHmm. I can see the distinction. Sometimes working around existing content can stifle the new material because both don't quite fit. I've gotten around this in Scrivener by copying a scene and moving it off to the side, then starting fresh with the side-by-side view so I have the old scene as a reference.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I could completely rewrite in a second draft, like from scratch. But if it works for some authors, more power to them.
That's a great idea of writing the scene side-by-side. I don't have Scrivener, but ywriter, so I'd have to see if that would work. Right now, I'm keeping an outline of what happened in the old version vs. the new version, so I stay on track with my plot.
DeleteRewriting is the best way to go for any content "revisions" that need to take place. I discovered that when I tried to revise my first book (5 times) and made a mess. I had to rewrite it. Copy editing/proofreading type revisions are really the only kind of revision that I think works well.
ReplyDeleteI agree about using rewriting for content revisions. I've tried before just to revise in those instances too, but it doesn't usually work, especially if it's something big like character. I wish there was an easier way sometimes...
DeleteAs an English teacher (by day), I find this really interesting advice. A lot of my students think "revise" means "correct the grammar," when in reality, it means to re-see a piece, find out what works, and reshape the piece. I don't think I'd limit a work to three revisions, though. Some of the best writers I know revise a work 8 times or more before they publish--though I do also think you can beat a work to death in revisions. I guess it's a personal call. I've had scenes I needed to totally rewrite, but others that just needed some pruning to be where they needed to be.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about students. I think my rising 7th grader is like that. It also took me a long time as a writer to finally take the leap and rewrite. (I did it for my third book as well, this current project is my fourth.) Seeing how much rewriting that third book shaped me as a writer (and improved that book) made me sure that I should do it again.
DeleteYou hit the nail on the head with that post! My first novel was critiqued and then I tried to revise it according to the suggestions but then found it was turning into something that wasn't me. Now I'm rewriting and it's just as you say- much easier now that I know the characters. . .
ReplyDeleteThe other point is to keep submitting. You never know when you will find the perfect match for your writing.
Rose, thanks for the encouragement. You're so right about continuing to submit. I'm very guilty of giving up too soon and taking rejections to much too heart. Thanks for the reminder--and I'm glad that rewriting is helping you too.
DeleteI also say no-way to the three revisions rule. That's crazy! I love revising. Even if I rewrite, I eventually have to revise that. I think there are scenes to revise and scenes that needs to be totally rewritten. I kind of love the balancing act of both.
ReplyDeleteThat's so true. With the first draft of this project, I did a lot of rewriting of certain scenes and adding in new ones in the revision stage (prior to this rewrite).
DeleteYes, I love to revise too. I'm sure his point was not to revise your work to death or procrastinate about sending it out, but limiting yourself to a certain number doesn't really take into account how every writer and story is different.
Sounds like you have lots in front of you. I don't often rewrite, but I do quite a bit of revision and I do a lot more than 3 to get my books to where I want them to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, J.L.! Yes, I don't think I could ever keep myself to 3 drafts. I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one. :)
DeleteI think I do both in that writer's opinion--revise AND rewrite. I don't bother to delineate the difference, I guess! :)
ReplyDeleteYes!!!! I think sometimes you can revise the life out of something, and it's best to rewrite to regain the vitality. Sometimes I have found it helpful with a particular scene to rewrite it, and take the best from the old and new versions and mash them together (doesn't always work, but sometimes)
ReplyDelete