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Hurrah! Yes, it's always exciting to pound my way through to that final scene and to finish a first draft. Now, of course, the big work begins.
The first draft is capricious, almost an indulgence. I follow my whims about characters and their actions and their dialogue, and I let the plot lead me.
After the first draft, (and starting tomorrow), I need to take these steps:
1. A big read-through. I study the draft from beginning to end, looking for continuity errors or awkward phrasing. Knowing the ending, I will find some holes in the plot and look for ways to repair them.
2. Once I feel that I've patched up any obvious errors and smoothed out the uneven diction, I will bring the manuscript to my writers' group. Right now we are a tight group of four, familiar with each other's writing and with the weaknesses we've worked to eradicate over the years. This group helps me spot errors I never would have seen, and they give me a general sense of how the public might receive a book. Are the characters likable? Is the plot believable? Is the pacing exciting enough? My group will give me excellent feedback, and this will take me back to the revision table.
3. While I'm revising, I'll determine whether or not I need to plant a couple more clues or give a background character more lines. Often when I'm writing I fall in love with a character who was supposed to be peripheral, and he or she will suddenly move to the forefront. This happened in my latest book, as well.
4. Once I take those steps, I'll run the draft past my agent. Her comments will help me to revise and polish even more before I have to turn the book in to my publisher (a deadline still six months away, but very much on my mind!)
5. In the interim, I'll be working on Book Two, trying to keep the momentum while the story of book one is still fresh in my mind.
As all you writers out there know, writing must be a daily task, and sometimes it can feel monotonous. But after all these years of writing, I don't think I could keep away from writing for very long. My mind is always providing me with fresh ideas for stories, and when those ideas are flowing, it's about as close to writing paradise as I can imagine.
6 comments:
Hi Julia,
I have a hard time with the concept of drafts anymore. With the advent of word processing software (using those old Wang machines attached to IBM Selectrics), I content edit as I go, so I guess my first draft is my last, unless we count the MS that's been copy-edited before it's sent to my formatter (proof reading comes after the ebook is formatted, of course). I rarely outline either (I did once for a serialized novel on my website--it wasn't a pleasant experience).
I guess an author chooses what best works for him...as he should!
r/Steve
Good point, Steve. I do self-edit constantly--the computer makes that too easy to not take advantage of it--but I can't say enough about the value of my book group doing a reading of the manuscript at an early point. They really help me to re-shape it when I myself might look at it and say it's fine.
Congratulations! (I write the same way -- pushing through to the end before beginning the big revision.)I know this is a special book for you, marking a new phase in your writing life, and I wish you the very best with it.
I don't know how you manage all that you do -- teaching, being a mother and wife, AND writing. You amaze me, and I admire you tremendously.
Thank you so much, Sandra! That's so nice to hear, especially because when I multi-task I feel I do everything poorly. :)
You are too kind.
By coincidence I finished the last scene of my sequel last night. Your tips on what to do next were extremely helpful, so thanks. Now I just have to find a writers group to look it over.
No problem, David. And congratulations--it's a good feeling, isn't it?
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