Paper Edit/Screen Edit

Taking a short break from the paper edit of my seventh story, as the underused handwriting muscles in my fingers are aching after their first proper workout in ten years - about as long as I've written so much by hand. (I can't believe I used to write longhand for three hours straight when taking exams...I'd never be able to manage it now.)

I thought I'd explain my editing process properly, in case you were wondering about all this paper edit/screen edit business. When I finished my first draft I put it away for four months while I started a new job. This helped me to get some perspective and to cast a more critical eye over my writing when the edit and second draft came around.

I printed out each story (double spaced, one side of the page only) and held them together with paper fasteners. I read through the entire manuscript once, and then looked over each story again before I edited it.

I found that editing the story on my laptop didn't give me enough high-level perspective, for example how the plot flowed overall, if the characters developed smoothly over the entire story and so on. So I began to do 'paper edits' on the back of each page, where I would write notes on the plot and characters, rewrite sections and parts of dialogue that I didn't like, and generally anything that came into my head when I read through the story. I found that I could move scenes around easier that way and if I thought of something that should be covered earlier it was easy to scrawl a few directions on an earlier page.

Then when I've finished this part of the edit, I do a full rewrite onscreen using the paper version as a guide. It does stretch out the edit and rewrite time, but I'd be lost and frustrated if I didn't do the longhand work first; in fact, it took nearly a month of frantic trial and error to figure it out, and without it I'd be bald from all the pulling of hair.

What's your favourite second draft strategy? Do you do all your editing and rewriting by hand? Or do you go straight to your computer and work it all out from there?

Why I Don't Skip

Decided to break the monotony of editing by designing a new blog banner. Let me know what you think.

Will Knott suggested I should write about the slog, wondering why I don't skip. Here's why:

1. There is nothing I hate more than reaching the last page of a project and realising that it's not finished, because I've skipped parts.

2. Especially as I'll most likely skip the difficult or tricky parts, which are even harder to edit and rewrite if you have to dip back in later.

3. Working from beginning to end, story one to story ten works best for me because it's very difficult to get back into the plot, characters, tone if I’ve been skipping sections. So if it's slow going now, it'll be even slower going later.

4. Taking your time in places is often better in the long run - I've been averaging 700 words a day this week, which is lower than my preferred daily word count, but I've been working through some difficult scenes and dialogue and I'm pretty happy with the result.

The Writing Zone

Our four day weekend has started - The Ours took today off and Monday is a bank holiday - but I still rewrote 600 words this morning.

I'm really trying to write every day if I can. It seems like most published authors write every day, rain or shine - I do like having the weekends off though, and because of that distinction I tend to get more done during the week. Perhaps the solution is to do less at the weekends?

I'm still clinging to the idea that I must achieve a certain mindset before I start writing though. Today I felt a little distracted and not really in 'the zone', so my writing wasn't quite right. I know I'll have to read through what I wrote today again and tighten it up. But I also don't want to get into the habit of putting off writing because I don't 'feel' like it, because I might never get it done.

Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas on how to get the best out of your writing sessions if you don't really feel like it?

Writer's Lobotomy

I finished my paper edit yesterday and began the rewrite today. Eventually the 1000 word limit was reached but it was a painful process.

Not so much writer's block than writer's lobotomy - I could visualise what I wanted to write but the words would not come to me.

Luckily I work alone otherwise I'd have been sent home with a doctor's note for waving my hands in the air and babbling to myself. "Material. A floral material. Bobbly, raised, hairbrushy feel. What the hell am I on about? Arrghhh..." *Clutches head dramatically*

On days like this one I long for mind-reading software. Or failing that, a large cocktail.

Third Story - Done

I was so determined to finish this story that I wrote over 2000 words this morning. It is finally done.

The feeling of relief is amazing! I knew even when I finished the first draft that the story needed a lot of work, but I had completely run out of ideas on how to improve it. Sometimes a break makes all the difference, and in my case the longer the better.

So onto story four tomorrow. As always I'll be editing on paper first, then I'll rewrite onscreen; a bit like doing two edits. Hopefully I'll be happy with the overall result.

Research

I'm back in business - amazing how much you can get done if you've been bored out of your skull for a week! My hand was a blur, scribbling down ideas, twists, motivations, descriptions...

My fingers are now too sore to continue so I'm off to do some research. I've made up a new vocabulary for this story - it's set in a cult-like community so they'll have their own terminology for certain things - but I want it to have more resonance, so I'm going to look up some biblical and religious references.

Have a lot of paperwork and administration stuff to sort out too - so I'm keeping busy.

Training

One of the reasons I started this blog was to hopefully dispel some of the myths that surround writing. When I started my novel many people I spoke to thought I would have a publishing deal before I started the novel and that I wouldn't need to rewrite or edit my work. I wasn't surprised - I don’t know the ins and outs of most jobs that I haven't done before.

Before I started writing my novel I had some work experience as a copy writer and editor. When I lived in London I wrote and edited an internal magazine for a large pharmaceutical company. Then I ran away to Australia and wrote a series of articles geared to fellow travellers on a career break. On my return to Ireland I found work as a training writer for web-based learning, which was my career until eighteen months ago.

Now I'm not going to pretend that these jobs were hotbeds of creativity and glamour. But they did hone my writing and editing skills and teach me to approach writing like any other job or project - instead of waiting for inspiration, you can kick start any writing assignment by just getting some words on the page, even if it’s just freewriting. Thanks to my days as a lowly foot soldier I rarely have days when I cannot write.

What I do suffer from is days when I am slower than others. Like any job, some days everything falls into place, your productivity is through the roof and you swan around the office like you own the place. But other times you’re swimming against the tide regardless how many hours you've put in, and only frequent ranty tea-breaks with co-workers will get you through the day. (In my case you're my co-workers and this blog is my rant!)

Less productive days can result from the task in hand - if I'm writing a scene with a lot of tension, dialogue and emotion it just takes longer, regardless of the amount of freewriting I do to warm up. But sometimes it's just one of those things.

Regardless of how I'm feeling though, I'll always be able to get started without much ado. I might not crack my top target for the day but I will have managed a minimum word count, even if I have to chain myself to the computer all day. If I really get stuck I'll go over my previous work and check for errors, or do some research.

But I can honestly say that getting stuck is very rare, and I can thank my training for providing that shortcut. When you work to tight deadlines you just cannot wait for inspiration. You just have to find a way to make it happen, regardless of your mood.

Post-Edit Glow

Well I've gone and done it lads. The second story is finally done and dusted. Just in time too, as my head is as empty as a well in drought. I'm feeling light-headed - and very happy.

Tonight The Ours and I are going to The Doctor's apartment for dinner and a few cheeky scoops, and tomorrow we're having lunch with a friend we haven't seen in ages. I'm going to relax and enjoy every atom of this post-edit glow before I have to start all over again...

Have a great weekend.

Hairy Edits

I've hit a rough spot with the edit that I'm trying to work through at the moment - which means I'm moving a lot slower than I'd like.

Having to analyse specifics (such as metaphors, dialogue and general word use) AND big picture concerns (like overall flow, character and reader interest) at the same time can be head-wrecking. But I'm keeping the head down and trying to have faith that it will all come together at the end.

I came across this website yesterday that cheered me up - Hairy Babies, an Irish t-shirt and hoodie company. Now, who's taking the horse to France?

Brainwaves

I finished the paper edit/rewrite of my second story yesterday - changed quite a few things, but haven't cut everything thankfully.

So now to the laptop part. This takes much longer as I often just note directions on paper rather than the specific wording. Also as I work through the hard copy I'll often have a brainwave about a character or a scene that needs to come before, so I'll go back scribble a note like: "Andrew has OCD!!!" or "Eamon needs to mention something to Andrew here to stop him from telling Sophia" which often scraps what I'd already written previously.

But it's all good. I'm happy that I've eroded the plot holes at this stage (at least the ones I've spotted) and have improved the story and the flow. God bless Sol Stein. I made notes when I read Solutions for Writers and I go over them again before each edit. His advice is slowly but surely invading my fuzzy, bubble-wrapped brain.

What I Learned The Hard Way

Half-way through my paper edit and I think I've got the hang of this editing/re-writing lark. Editing the first story was a baptism of fire - this is what I've taken from it:

I immediately banish those self-critical thoughts that sometimes pop up before I sit down to work in the morning and when I go to bed at night.

And if the FEAR takes hold, I focus on something else rather than picking away at it until I'm reduced to a puddle of anxiety.

I sit down at the same time every day and set a target. If I'm feeling positive the target is ambitious - if I'm nervous about the part I'm editing the target is more modest.

I set a timer to 120 minutes and won't take a break until it beeps...

...but I avoid getting hung up about how many hours I'm working. As long as I hit my target I've had a good day, regardless of how I got there.

I aim to work at least one day of the weekend, but make sure to socialise and relax too.

Dear Muse

How's it hanging? Or floating? Or whatever you do where you are.

Anyhoo...it's been a tough few days I admit. Out of the blue, after months of no contact, I expect you to turn up and just do your thing. (In my defence I've been very busy - secretarial work just doesn't rock my creative boat) So I understand why you're withholding the stardust at the moment.

I'm trying my best to accommodate your needs. As an example, I'm trying to start work early in the morning as I know you're at your twinkliest then. But I didn't figure on being wide awake until four am last night, dozing until one in the afternoon and missing my first Scribblers Corner, thus putting off our quality time for another week.

And when I worry about how long this rewrite will take, whether the savings will stretch that far and the unrealistic timelines I've drawn up, I know it drives you to gorge on chocolate ice-cream while lying prostrate on your sofa rather than musing with me.

But let's put this behind us and make a deal. If I get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow (i.e. 9 am) and start writing straight away, will you pay me a visit? No pressure, just for a catch up. We don't even need to talk shop.

Hope to see you then.

Yvonne

A Start

I started my rewrite today, managed exactly 1008 carefully chosen words before I started producing nonsense. Not a bad beginning...

I'm going to aim for 1000 well-crafted words a day for the time being and see how that goes. As I'm only keeping 10% of the original first draft for this story I'm determined to get it right this time, so that the next edit will be words changed here and there rather than a complete slash and burn!

As I only got five hours sleep last night I'm going for a nap. Good night.

Methodical

Started editing my first story today - a little nerve-wracking but surprisingly manageable.

I'm starting with structure edits. I've decided to drop a character from the first story and rearrange the overall sequence of events, so I've plotted a step-by-step guide for myself to follow. I'm also making notes on plot and characters so that I have something to reference when I start my rewrite. The time for free-writing is over, this stage is more methodical.

Better get back to it...

Duh

I walked to work and back - didn't drown! Result!

My mood has suddenly improved, and so has my outlook for the next few months.

Now I reckon that the rewrite will go well.

When I think back to what I've written, character dialogue suddenly spools into my head, light but massy, witty but profound. (Or maybe you've just stopped taking your medication? Shut up it's ART!) Needless to say I immediately get all excited about the whole shebang.

I just got everything out in the first draft, I think. This time I'll have a chance to add colour and texture to the stories, deepen the character's personalities, research my themes a little more.

Then again I often get ideas for posts when I'm out and about, and each word jumps into place without effort or fuss. Congratulating myself I head home, only sit in front of my computer and hear the voice in my head say: "Duuuuhhhhhh..."

We shall see. But I'm glad that the cloud over my head has shrunk slightly.

Flummoxed

Still plugging away at Solutions for Writers by Sol Stein - but my mind keeps wandering off to other things. He's a good writer no doubt and his subject matter is relevant to me but the urge to skip a few pages is sometimes irresistible.

Perhaps it's because I'm not yet in the writing mindset? Or maybe, when he talks about good beginnings for example, I wonder about the decency of mine and start worrying a little?

The obvious solution to these heart flutters is to read my first draft already, jaysus, get your arse in gear woman. But that scares me too much at the moment. Having a job can be annoying but at least I'm putting off the day when I actually read what I've come out with.

I know I'm going to be flummoxed by how much work I have to do, whether it's rewriting whole scenes or tightening sloppy parts. There is at least one story that I'll have to dump and start again as it just doesn't fit.

I'm not a great reviewer. At college, research and writing was relatively painless. Reading over the bloody thing was torture. In exams I'd have to grip the sides of my desk to stop me from walking out too early.

Hopefully when the Big Edit day dawns my logical side will kick in and give me a good talking too about practice and patience - as I'll probably be frantically searching the job sites.

Thank you

Thank you very, very much for your responses to my rewriting queries and subsequent wobble. You've all been incredibly supportive and helpful, and for that I am very grateful.

I'm now over my fit of insecurity and am looking forward to the next stage. There is no way that worrying about it will help - I just have to have faith that I can produce something of which I am proud.

But until then I will focus on my course and take full advantage of my writing break!

The FEAR

I'm a little down today. I've been reading a few articles recently that were beautifully written; instead of spuring me on, they've made me feel small. How can I compete with that? I can't be that original, I can't express myself that eloquently.

But the articles have merely stoked the FEAR. The FEAR was planted exactly one minute after I finished my first draft. First came elation; then came dread. What if I couldn't rewrite it properly? I was sure to make a mess of it, I'd never edited a novel before. I'd always had to grip my desk with both hands to stop me from leaving an exam before checking my work. Now not only do I have to re-read my awful blathering, I actually have to point out how terrible it is and then attempt to write something better. How the hell did I ever think I could do this?

And then another voice says: "Suck it up."

Hump

I got over the hump - 1900 words written today...

I realised yesterday that the way I'd started the story was all wrong, so I knew I'd have to rewrite parts and move them around before continuing today. But fortunately I didn't have to change or remove too much of what I'd already written. It was an upward struggle at first, but then an idea to carry the story forward hit me out of nowhere and my typing just couldn't keep up.

These flashes of inspiration are still a mystery to me, but I'm not going to examine them too closely. Whether it's a muse, a divine intervention or just good old fashioned random synapse firing, I was very glad of it today as it restored my confidence.

I'm looking forward to having a whole day free of interruptions tomorrow.

2500 words

Feeling pretty good because I’ve managed to write 2500 words today! This is how I did it:

1. By breaking my goal into manageable steps
I decided to write 500 words first. That done, I decided to push for another 500 words and then take a short break. Got stuck in half an hour later and before I knew it my next word count had reached 2100, so I only had to write another 400 to achieve a nice round number.

2. By trusting my rewriting ability
My writing was messy at times and far from perfect, but I reminded myself that it was a first draft and I’d do a good job knocking it into shape later. I also told myself that it was more important to get raw material developing on paper than to stop to polish it and risk getting stuck.

3. By avoiding any distractions
When I got up this morning I spent an hour checking the news online and reading my emails. Then I closed down all applications and didn't reopen them until I was finished. I do need music playing in the background though, otherwise I get bored.

4. By announcing that you’re going to write 2000 words a day on your blog
Speaks for itself really.