Editing

To any of the guys doing NaNoEdMo at the moment (and I know you'll mainly be on that site), but just a quick question.

What have you learnt so far this month?

(Doesn't have to be long since I know you're all busy.)

Andrew Chilton - http://kapiti.geek.nz/
SoCNoC 2008 - Unknown and Untitled

Ha! It takes a long time just to read through your novel, let alone write things down about it as you go.

Kerryn mentioned Holly Lisle's One pass revision which I printed and will be using.

Holly Lisle has a podcast and long standing writing tips on her web page. I am also currently reading one of her books. She follows her own advice. The book started interesting and has not stopped at all... I think I'm going to like it a lot.

Anyway, Holly Lisle goes from first draft to finished manuscript in 1 complex, all encompassing pass. I'm about to go and read about it a little more.

Travis.
--
http://cottreau.blogspot.com
http://cottreaureviews.blogspot.com/

To see how I'm going check out my blog, linked in my sig.

I have used Holly Lisle's One Pass Revision before and subsequently wrote and article called Editing Technique for the EdMo site.

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Freeing the Flame
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

I've been checking your blog daily Kerryn and you definately seem to be on a roll.

Travis, a one-pass revision seems like a hard trick to pull off. Good luck!

Keep going both of you :-)

Andrew Chilton - http://kapiti.geek.nz/
SoCNoC 2008 - Unknown and Untitled

Hard to use Holly Lisle's methodology when one works like I do (not counting the mindmap) - first-person drafts (I like to feel characters going through the storyline); then making the flow consistent; then a third person draft (god view, kind of thing) - Finally a complete re-write that I consider the real first draft, based on the "best" of the various other versions.

The OPR works well on that final version, though!

Find more about me here!

thepengun, that approach sounds really interesting. I usually pick my pov before I start but don't necessarily check whether it is the best for the story that I end up writing.

How does that approach work on a novel? The thought of going through a long piece of work that many times just to get to the real first draft pains me!

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Freeing the Flame
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

Man, one pass, that's hard core. Personally, I couldn't do it. I think that one would have to have way more experience than I have as a writer to be able to pull that off. I guess it also depends on content as well.

My writing seems to take the following path.

1. Write down all the fragments and ideas I can think of for characters, plot points and other events.

2. I found once I have done that, the chapters pour out in one big stream. If I get stuck, I make a note/link to come back to and just keep going. I find it vital to keep writing - getting stuck on tiny details the first time around can seriously derail my creative processes.

3. Once the chapters have been written, I then wait a few days (or even better, work on something else) then go at it again. I find I end up deleting about 10 % of what I have written, re-writing about 10% and adding whatever else I need to the story to flesh out characters, back-story and dramatic tension.

4. Once I am pretty sure the story is complete, I then put on my technical cap and trawl through it checking spelling and punctuation. This is morally soul-destroying work for me, and there is a danger I start to question why I wrote something this way, or that way. It is at this stage where it is easy for me to get really bored with what I've done and start deleting or re-hashing parts so it is important for me to stay detached and just stick to pure spelling and punctuation; I can always come back later for more editing.

5. Once that is done, I take a break for a few weeks, let it all digest. I think about it and mull over any points that make themselves known. I give it another read from start to finish with fresh eyes; it is amazing at this point how much can change; characters dialogue gets more real, something I thought about can be included.

6. By this point there should be a finished book there. I then give it to three of my friends who are well educated and whose opinions I deeply respect.

7. From there, sit back and see the royalties flow in. Oh, hang on, that bit's my dream. For now it is hawking the finished work around the publishers and seeing what happens.

I guess I should put some funny quip here.