So, I've just started rewriting one of my books, Invisible Angels. I thought that it was going to be the easy part where I just get to tighten up some things, fix weird sentences and change things I don't like. Wrongo! It turns out that rewriting is really what it looks like rewriting! I got some help from a very nice lady who is a writer and she's going through it with me, she said that most times the rewriting is like writing the book again. So much for my easy method.
Why am I telling you this? To discourage you from writing? To stop you from rewriting? Just to tell you about what I'm doing? To eat alligators? No. No. No. And definitely not. I'm telling you this to say it's fine. You, unless you have a deadline, have all the time in the world to work on this book. You do what you need to get it done.
I'm sure Izori will agree with me, she has been working on one of her books for a long time and still isn't 100% happy with it. (No offense or anything, Izori, you're a good example). :). Likelihood is, there will always be something that you could change but you should take your time doing it. It's not some torture process and it's not just correcting grammar and spelling errors, it real stuff. You gotta work on this! You don't want to turn out a load of crud to a publisher, so take your time with it.
Sorry if this sounds in your face, but I was just exercising so I'm hyper. Hehe.
Well, I'm going to go rewrite!
I've discovered that rewriting is really the fun part of writing. I know, I know... it sure doesn't sound like it: it sounds like a very time consuming and annoying amount of work. But in all honesty, you have your RD which is like a rough outline of things you want in your story. Then you rewrite, and that's when you actually start to really delve into your world and characters and learn more about them. By the time you've rewritten 3 or 4 times, you know the characters so well they are almost physical. It can be annoying, and you may be tired of the story... but it's so worth it. Besides, rewriting is when you get to tie in all the neat other ideas and histories and character traits that you forgot about in the first draft.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do love to rewrite. It is my favorite part of the writing process, and it is most definitely satisfying. :)