back to work . . .
The post-ms celebration (also known as, housecleaning, laundry, and God I have to do something about this hair!) has ended and this morning I begin one of my favorite parts of the writing process . . . revisions. Woo-hoo! FYI, these are my own revs right now, working off the ms draft; I'm still awaiting word from my editor about the "real" revisions. For those interested in my process, it goes a little something like this:
Export manuscript file from WriteWay to RTF. Open RTF file(s) in TextAloud voice software, add 5-second pauses at chapter ends, then convert from text to spoken word mp3. Load mp3 book file(s) onto iPod--all 9+ hours of it!--then slap on earbuds and listen.
I prefer to listen to my manuscript being read in someone else's voice, particularly the first time through. That way I get a better sense of pacing, characters, plot flaws, etc. See, when I write, I don't go back and edit previous chapters. I don't even read them in order to prepare for the next day's writing session. I pretty much know where I left off, and I also know that if I stop to read what I already have, I'll be tempted to fix and fiddle and lose all of my enthusiasm. If I have hunches that a scene doesn't quite work, or needs something more, I'll jot down my thoughts in a Revision notecard in WriteWay, but I won't do any real editing until later. I have found that plowing straight through a draft is the best, most efficient, way for me to write. The reviewing and editing doesn't start until the whole story is down on paper (I do outline extensively before I begin a book).
So, today I listen and absorb. After I've heard the entire book, I'll make a few notes of my overall impressions--things that need to be fixed, opportunities missed, etc. Tomorrow I will print out and read the ms on paper, looking for places where I can insert new scenes and dialogue, and/or rip out dead weight based on what I hear today. After that? Let the bloodletting begin!
I always approach Listening Day with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How much of this ms is going to suck? Will I like any of it?? I'll know in about 9 1/2 hours . . . .
Export manuscript file from WriteWay to RTF. Open RTF file(s) in TextAloud voice software, add 5-second pauses at chapter ends, then convert from text to spoken word mp3. Load mp3 book file(s) onto iPod--all 9+ hours of it!--then slap on earbuds and listen.
I prefer to listen to my manuscript being read in someone else's voice, particularly the first time through. That way I get a better sense of pacing, characters, plot flaws, etc. See, when I write, I don't go back and edit previous chapters. I don't even read them in order to prepare for the next day's writing session. I pretty much know where I left off, and I also know that if I stop to read what I already have, I'll be tempted to fix and fiddle and lose all of my enthusiasm. If I have hunches that a scene doesn't quite work, or needs something more, I'll jot down my thoughts in a Revision notecard in WriteWay, but I won't do any real editing until later. I have found that plowing straight through a draft is the best, most efficient, way for me to write. The reviewing and editing doesn't start until the whole story is down on paper (I do outline extensively before I begin a book).
So, today I listen and absorb. After I've heard the entire book, I'll make a few notes of my overall impressions--things that need to be fixed, opportunities missed, etc. Tomorrow I will print out and read the ms on paper, looking for places where I can insert new scenes and dialogue, and/or rip out dead weight based on what I hear today. After that? Let the bloodletting begin!
I always approach Listening Day with a mix of excitement and apprehension. How much of this ms is going to suck? Will I like any of it?? I'll know in about 9 1/2 hours . . . .
Oh my! I'm a fiddler. I fiddle, edit, tweak, do major surgery...as I write.
Which is probably why I'm lucky if I get ten pages done per day of new stuff.
I just got done completely rearranging the first 85 pages of my current WIP...but now that I've done so, I can see better where I'm going, so I have high hopes for more page productivity.
PS We finally got a name for the new blog. Are you sure you don't want to join us? Muse, News...and a Few Loose Screws. (LOL!)
Posted by
Colleen Gleason |
11:44 AM
So you send your mss into your editor and then you do your edits on it? Inquiring minds wanna know since we have the same editor *g*
Love the blog name Colleen *g*
Posted by
Jaci Burton |
5:17 AM
Colleen, I used to edit and revise as I wrote, too, and not only did it slow my overall progress, but it also made writing the first draft feel like a major chore. By the time I'd reach The End, all of my enthusiasm for the book was gone. I'm a much happier writer now, and I've cut my first draft timeframe down from 7-9 months to about 3-4 max. My problem now is that I will plot and research (and procrastinate) for several weeks at the front end of a deadline, then I have to cram all of my composition into the end. Fortunately, I work well under pressure!
LOL on the group blog name. I like it! :)
Posted by
Lara Adrian |
6:31 AM
Jaci, you would have to ask that! :-P Because I was late delivering Crimson, I actually sent the ms in as a rough draft. That means without any tweaking other than a spellcheck and a quick run through to remove some text highlighting that I use as reminder flags for me of things I need to research or replace with better description (I cleaned up a few of those before I submitted, stuff like inserting actual street names in place of my ??? placeholders, etc.).
I don't really recommend submitting rough drafts as normal practice, but time was crucial, and Shauna had already read the unedited first half and we seemed to be on the same page as far as what needed to be fixed on a macro level. So, while she's reviewing the complete rough draft, I am too, and I will simply incorporate my own revisions with hers once I have them.
In a perfect world--you know, like yours, where you actually finish a ms BEFORE your deadline whooshes past you!--I would have already listened to the rough draft in voice mode and made my own revisions before it went to my editor. :)
Posted by
Lara Adrian |
6:50 AM