For some reason, I kept thinking yesterday was Friday. So I had to think really hard before starting this post, to make sure I had the day right. (One of those weeks.)
I'm enjoying the Secret Agent's "this worked/this needs work" approach to the critiques. And you? Secret Agent feedback is consistently helpful and often amazing, and I find I particularly like this approach.
As for me, I'm happy to report that I reached "the end" last night on my WIP revisions, and will now spend the weekend going back through the whole thing one mo' time before sending it to my second set of readers.
Which brings me to today's question. We are often (and wisely) encouraged to "let things rest" before editing or revising or whatever we need to do. Of course, this is an individual thing, different for everybody. There is certainly such a thing as being "too close" to your work to see things clearly, but I believe there might also be a "too far" thing that can trip you up if you let something rest for too long.
For me, at the moment, going right back through the novel is exactly what I have to do. Everything's fresh, and I'm ready to see if my (sometimes extensive) revisions work as a whole. I'm not requiring a "rest time".
What works for you? It always fascinates me the way our different approaches/systems/habits all end up producing the same thing: a completed novel.
Share! And have a brilliant weekend.
Miss Snark's First Victim
I always go right back through as soon as I've hit The End for the same reason--I need to make sure it all hangs together. My head is usually full of themes, thoughts on characters, and things I want to make sure pop out in just the right way. So there's always a mini revision that happens immediately. But after that I do let it sit for as long as I can stand (a week or two?) before sending it out for critique. That's when I try to really forget about it and concentrate on something else--a new book, my crit of someone else's work, or everything in life I've been ignoring in my race to The End.
ReplyDeleteThat first pass, right after finishing, though, is really important.
Sadly, I am fatally driven. I simply cannot rest or wait. I must keep on and on, honing and honing till I can't improve it. Bad, I know. That's the written work, of course. The damn query or worse, the damn synopsis (any agent requiring this entirely seperate red herring should be hanged, drawn and quartered!), well they're different. I need psychiatric help for those - and rest, a long rest ...
ReplyDeleteI'm with Elliott's thoughts on the query and synopsis - pure and simple torture. As for revisions - I have a go-to beta reader who reads as I write (and I revise as I write before sending) - when I reach THE END, I then go back on her suggestions which are usually spot-on. Then two other betas and my crit group. I look for themes - revising minor stuff first, then finding big issue stuff. I get absolutely obsessed by first drafts, so starting something new means leaving the newly finished ms to molder - I'm best to keep working on it.
ReplyDeleteAs I get into a story, a momentum builds that makes it hard to stop. If I'm forced to put it away (because life gets in the way) it is hard to get back to that same place. I have to hold all the facts and ideas and feelings in my head, so the story can spill out (I hope!) cohesively on the page. I like to keep going before I lose the "pieces." But if I realize I have to make major changes, sometimes it helps to step away before I can face it again.
ReplyDeleteI like to edit right away for technical stuff. But I need the rest time to check for disconnects - I have to forget all the answers to any questions a reader might have.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, I like to wait a month before I start to revise a full first draft, but since I can't seem to break myself of the habit of editing as I go (usually when I get stuck on how to proceed forward, I go back, and make changes as I read), my second draft needs less work, and by then I usually feel like I need some time away from it. In the meantime, I normally work on something older that needs editing.
ReplyDeleteOh, it's so tempting to edit right away. So tempting. Honestly it wasn't until I went through my first round with beta readers that I realized how beneficial coming back with fresh eyes could be. It gave me a lot of perspective on the book as a whole instead of focusing on the nitpicky detail in chapter five that was driving me nuts before I sent it out. There's nothing like waiting for a reader to force a stop and create some space, which I've come to love.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that being said, I'm really really bad at following through on this, which is why I now print a copy and send it physically out of the house with my husband to read between drafts. He's great about this, and I don't allow myself to even look in the Word doc until he hands it back to me with notes. I also don't allow myself to nag him because otherwise he won't be so cooperate and helpful! It's a great exercise in patience on both fronts. ;)
I revise in various ways: 1)sometimes I revise as I'm writing the rough draft (a very slow writing method); 2) the following day, while reading over the previous few paragraphs or chapter to get a running start on new words; 3) when I'm finished with the entire rough draft for consistancies of voice, etc; 4) after going through comments from a few beta readers or critique group; and 5) right before I click "send" for an agent/editor submission. If it's rejected, the story can sit years before I look at it again, then -- BAM -- it's like I'm my own beta reader with fresh eyes.
ReplyDeleteI revise while writing... i never stop at the end of a scene, I always force myself to write at least one line from the next scene before ending for the day, then go back and re-read the previously finished scene (and edit it) before continuing on the next day. If there are big things I want to change/fix, I do it immediately.
ReplyDeleteSo when I get to the end, a lot of the changes are already made and I send it off right away to my critique group.
I DO wait after getting feedback though... like a week, a month, however long it takes before the itch to get back to the story starts to become unbearable.
I also take breaks if I begin to feel frustrated or just exhausted by the story and go work on something else. I've let stories sit for up to 2 years at a time before returning to them.
I've been off by a day all week as well, Authoress! *sigh* I'm glad it's finally Friday!
ReplyDeleteI do both -- like you. There's a time for everything: instant read-throughs and longer breaks.
I hope you're happy with your revision! :)
Amy
I find it fascinating to see how other writers work. I do a combination of waiting and not waiting, depending on what draft I'm at with a story. I have one mss that has had long wait times while I work on another project that forced its way to the front. I just finished what I hope to be the final draft that one, and I'm forcing myself to wait a few days before doing a total read through to see if it is indeed done.
ReplyDeleteI have found waiting to be extremely helpful in gaining some distance and being able to see problem spots with fresh eyes. But it is hard.
Hi Miss Snark,
ReplyDeleteI’m on my fourth book, but this is the first one that I’m really going to try to publish. I find it much easier to write a novel than to edit one. Maybe it is a lack of confidence.
I’m part of a reviewing group on Writing Dot Com. We review each other’s work, so I correct any typos or simple errors that they find right away. I also take note of their major comments (like adding a chapter), and go back to them when it feels right. Meanwhile, I am constantly rereading my work myself.
I find that looking at the same chapter different ways helps to make typos pop out, for instance, using a different font or printing it.
I have a question for you and your readers. When I wrote my first draft, I often wrote words out because that was the way they came to me. Then I went back and made contractions (can’t, he’d) because I sometimes felt that the sentences were stilted – too formal. After a review, I went back and got rid of most of my contractions outside of dialogue. Now, I’m wondering if I need to put them back in again.
What are your thoughts?
French Lady,
P. S. Synopsis, penopsis, whynopsis? It’s killing me.
I'm with you, Authoress. Reading through the book once or twice (or more) while all the info is fresh helps me remember to add a line here, take one away there. I still mess up on some things (who doesn't) but that's why looking again after the "break" period is also essential.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing... sort of. :)
I always need the rest time between revisions. Works best if I read a book or three in between to pull myself out of my own story and make what I've written less familiar. After getting critiqued, however, I prefer to plunge in immediately.
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year, I read Stephen King's Book, On Writing, and he suggests (if I remember correctly) to wait six weeks before edits. I personally don't think I can wait six weeks. I'm afraid of getting too disconnected from the story. I think I might wait a week or two, not more, before I start revising. Hope to finish this draft by the end of the month *crosses fingers*. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI'd LIKE to go back and revise right away...but I can't be objective. In the end I send it to a writer friend or three and see what they think and then revise according to what they tell me since usually they see things that I don't. For instance I had a sentence that looked perfectly A-Ok with the word "is" but he suggested "are". In the end I realized that he was right...and had "I" been revising that I would have just blown right past it thinking that it was right all along. So I get outside opinions before I revise.
ReplyDeleteIt varies with me from manuscript to manuscript. Sometimes distance really helps see what needs to be done in the rewrite; other times I know as soon as I finish a draft what I want to do in a rewrite, and I start right in again. But for me, usually a pause between rewrites helps me best.
ReplyDeleteI've been on the wrong day all week! Trying to take my kids to their Wed. classes on Tues., etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, to the SA. I find the comments very helpful whether I'm in the contest or not.
On my new ms, I've been starting each day with a quick look over of what I wrote the day before. It helps me see bad habits and redundancies before I litter the ms with them. And it gets me into "the voice." The word count doesn't build as quickly but what I know that what I've got down is worth having.
By the time I've reached the end, the beginning is a distant memory. I can go back and start editing right away, because when I start to read it feels fresh.
ReplyDeleteThe second round of edits isn't quite the same though, because I've had the whole book in my head constantly during the first round.
With my current WIP, I'm planning on writing my synopsis and query in between rounds.
I dive right back in for the second draft, and then I let it breathe for a short spell. Once the second round of revising hits, I stick to it until it shines.
ReplyDeleteI follow Stephen King's advice. I generally let mine sit for two months. My first drafts take about that long so it feels symmetrical. It lets me come at it like a reader, and realise what isn't clear. Sometimes I also surprise myself with how well something reads :-) (The former seems to happen more often unfortunately!)
ReplyDeleteI agree the Secret Agent's crits have been great. But then, they always are. I'm most impressed that s/he was up and critting at 7.50am one morning! That's dedication, I'm seriously impressed.
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ReplyDeleteI'm loving the "this worked, this didn't" approach as well. Gives such a clear message. Very refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI only have one completed novel, so I don't have much experience with this subject. But this story needed lots of time to breathe. During the writing and after. I thought I was done (after a million drafts and three years, I had hoped so anyway). But after betas read (and I got my first rejection), I realized there were a few important character elements I needed to add. Working on that now. Good luck with yours!
First of all, I really did like the secret agents critique methods, but the problem is the 250 word legnth. That is just not enough to get a grasp of a story.
ReplyDeleteAs for starting revisions, I prefer to go over it once immediately after I finish, because then I am really excited about it (so I can't just drop it), and also because it is freshest in my mind, so I know the ending, and how I want everything to fit. This is my chance to make sure it does everything that I want it to. After the first revision, I take a long break, and then come back with fresh eyes. This allows me to get the best of both worlds.
LOL You thought that yesterday was Friday?
ReplyDeleteHmm... I haven't had to do any editing yet. I'm working on my history book, which is my current way of worldbuilding, so I haven't had to worry about "complete novels" yet. :)