Congrats on the novel! I have a few suggestions for the second draft:
Give yourself a break of at least two weeks but a month or two is much better.
Do a read through where you take a bunch of notes - and categorise them. Some good categories include: things i love, things I need to fix, plot points I need to be sure I resolved, questions I need to make sure I answered, what doesn't make sense, and categories for each major character. Then as you go through make notes under all of those categories. By the end you'll have yourself a little map of what you want to work on.
For each scene, ask how it moves the plot or one of the characters forward. What's its purpose?
Test out how you work best! There's so much information out there about "don't edit until ..." or "don't try to polish each chapter before you move on, just keep moving" but the truth is every writer is different. You might thrive doing a rough second draft and then honing it, or you might be better honing each chapter or scene thoroughly before you move on. So don't be afraid to experiment.
Approach it differently to how you wrote it! So if you wrote it on your laptop, print it out to edit it. If you wrote it in your living room, read it at a coffee shop. Get your word processing program to read it to you - you'll experience it differently hearing it instead of reading it.
Oh I LOVE that idea for taking detailed notes of everything that needs to be revised! That's such a great approach. Definitely going to do that!
I'm going to be honing each scene before I do my next big edit so it'll definitely be a longer process... but hopefully that will result in a much quicker/better/easier second draft!
Second draft: put your first draft away for awhile -a month at least. When you return with fresh eyes, many of the issues will have 'obvious' solutions and you will have a slightly different perspective.
Many people suggest breaking it down by chapter, but I prefer scenes for a second draft. If you make a scene map showing who the main character is & the reason for the scene, it helps to see where you need to add more, remove redundancy, and balance your characters.
Oh - and add a reward each day you edit/rewrite; it's work.
There are a few folks who still use typewriters for writing fiction. About 35 years ago I was using an IBM Selectric for doing tech writing, and I found that the necessity of retyping an entire page of text to make a small revision was the pathway to Will Strunk's Rule 13: Omit Needless Words. Basic laziness rebels against retyping All Those Words all over again, so why not leave out the ones that shouldn't be there anyway?
Then there's Isaac Asimov, who reportedly wrote only a single, final draft of anything he wrote. He saw no need for making revisions. How many hundred books did he write doing it that way?
Wow! Did not know that about Isaac Asimov. Very interesting!
I cannot imagine writing on a typewriter. But definitely envy those whose brains can handle that. I've gotta get my hot mess draft down on paper then re-write several times with short stories/flash fiction, so I imagine my novel will be similar!
Love your updates and seeing how you're getting on. I'm also in recovery, from grief and illness, so I relate to having to pace yourself in a new way.
Writing-wise I'm feeling inspired. After 10 months starting a new job and moving house, I've suddenly found I have space to write again. I listed out all the writing projects I'm excited about and there's so much, I feel invigorated.
I rejoined a pitching group so that's giving me community. I found a way back in to editing my novel that excites me, instead of feeling like the slog that the MFA turned it into. And I'm applying to full time writing roles bc my health is finally back at a place where I could handle that.
Thanks so much, Sarah! Grief and illness are both so difficult already... and when they happen at the same time? Ughh. It's TOUGH. Sending hugs.
How exciting that you're feeling inspired by your recent change of scenery! I totally relate to that. When I first moved to Oregon last year, I was so inspired by all the nature that all I wanted to do was write (or be in nature lol).
The pitching group sounds awesome (always good to feel a sense of community!). As does the novel editing process. So glad things are looking up for you -- definitely keep me updated! :)
It's lovely to see an update from you.
Congrats on the novel! I have a few suggestions for the second draft:
Give yourself a break of at least two weeks but a month or two is much better.
Do a read through where you take a bunch of notes - and categorise them. Some good categories include: things i love, things I need to fix, plot points I need to be sure I resolved, questions I need to make sure I answered, what doesn't make sense, and categories for each major character. Then as you go through make notes under all of those categories. By the end you'll have yourself a little map of what you want to work on.
For each scene, ask how it moves the plot or one of the characters forward. What's its purpose?
Test out how you work best! There's so much information out there about "don't edit until ..." or "don't try to polish each chapter before you move on, just keep moving" but the truth is every writer is different. You might thrive doing a rough second draft and then honing it, or you might be better honing each chapter or scene thoroughly before you move on. So don't be afraid to experiment.
Approach it differently to how you wrote it! So if you wrote it on your laptop, print it out to edit it. If you wrote it in your living room, read it at a coffee shop. Get your word processing program to read it to you - you'll experience it differently hearing it instead of reading it.
I hope that helps :)
Oh I LOVE that idea for taking detailed notes of everything that needs to be revised! That's such a great approach. Definitely going to do that!
I'm going to be honing each scene before I do my next big edit so it'll definitely be a longer process... but hopefully that will result in a much quicker/better/easier second draft!
Thanks for the great advice! :)
Second draft: put your first draft away for awhile -a month at least. When you return with fresh eyes, many of the issues will have 'obvious' solutions and you will have a slightly different perspective.
Many people suggest breaking it down by chapter, but I prefer scenes for a second draft. If you make a scene map showing who the main character is & the reason for the scene, it helps to see where you need to add more, remove redundancy, and balance your characters.
Oh - and add a reward each day you edit/rewrite; it's work.
Enjoy!
YES – love the scene mapping idea! This is what I'm going to do.
Thanks so much, Cindi! :)
There are a few folks who still use typewriters for writing fiction. About 35 years ago I was using an IBM Selectric for doing tech writing, and I found that the necessity of retyping an entire page of text to make a small revision was the pathway to Will Strunk's Rule 13: Omit Needless Words. Basic laziness rebels against retyping All Those Words all over again, so why not leave out the ones that shouldn't be there anyway?
Then there's Isaac Asimov, who reportedly wrote only a single, final draft of anything he wrote. He saw no need for making revisions. How many hundred books did he write doing it that way?
Wow! Did not know that about Isaac Asimov. Very interesting!
I cannot imagine writing on a typewriter. But definitely envy those whose brains can handle that. I've gotta get my hot mess draft down on paper then re-write several times with short stories/flash fiction, so I imagine my novel will be similar!
Love your updates and seeing how you're getting on. I'm also in recovery, from grief and illness, so I relate to having to pace yourself in a new way.
Writing-wise I'm feeling inspired. After 10 months starting a new job and moving house, I've suddenly found I have space to write again. I listed out all the writing projects I'm excited about and there's so much, I feel invigorated.
I rejoined a pitching group so that's giving me community. I found a way back in to editing my novel that excites me, instead of feeling like the slog that the MFA turned it into. And I'm applying to full time writing roles bc my health is finally back at a place where I could handle that.
On the up, it seems.
Thanks so much, Sarah! Grief and illness are both so difficult already... and when they happen at the same time? Ughh. It's TOUGH. Sending hugs.
How exciting that you're feeling inspired by your recent change of scenery! I totally relate to that. When I first moved to Oregon last year, I was so inspired by all the nature that all I wanted to do was write (or be in nature lol).
The pitching group sounds awesome (always good to feel a sense of community!). As does the novel editing process. So glad things are looking up for you -- definitely keep me updated! :)