I'm just over 1100 words into my new WIP, and already I'm looking at it and thinking, "I can't use this!"
But then I started thinking about it, and I realized that's the way I work. I write a first draft to get to know my characters. The story isn't going to actually start until probably about 10k, but that's okay. That first 10k gives me backstory. It lets me meet my characters. It lets me figure out their quirks. It lets me realize which adjectives I'm using way too often for each of them. ;)
And when I'm done this first draft? I won't just edit what I've got. I'll do a full re-write.
I can hear the screeches from the plotters out there.
That's just how I work. My first draft is the equivalent of an outline. There may be a few scenes here and there that I'll keep, a few phrases that just stick, but the second draft is, for me, where the story becomes a real story and not just back story. The next edit will look more like what most people probably think an edit should look like.
The important thing, though? Once I sit down and do tonight's session, I'll be around 1500 words, and I'll be on a three-day writing streak. It feels so good to be writing again!
6 comments:
Awesome! I could never do an entire rewrite of a first draft, but if it works for you, then go for it! Best of luck.
Are you previously published?
Good luck! I've never had the patience to write fiction.
I am technically published - I'm a coauthor of an article that was published in a scientific journal, and I've had a few poems published in a local magazine back in high school. I have not had any of my fiction published. Yet. But I'm working towards that.
Will that give you contacts? I have lost faith in the querying process, and after reading about Courtney Milan and Joe Konrath, I am just going to Kindle. I have one that should be up in a few days. Formatting problems and I am going to try to do one every two weeks after that. Wish me luck! And reearch the process.
The journal and high school poems really won't give me any contacts for publishing, but I'm okay with that. I've been following Joe Konrath's blog for a year or so, so I know his story, and the other Kindle success stories he's promoting.
However, I don't think that's the right route for me. At this point, I'm still not sure that, even after I'm done editing and polishing, that my work will be ready for publishing. I really feel that I will benefit from the input of an agent and editor, at least at this point. I won't discount the possibility, though, that as I write more and become confident in my voice and style, that I might change my mind.
And while I'm being honest, by the time I have something that I feel is ready to submit, the landscape of publishing may have changed so much that it will be unnecessary to have an agent, so I'm not going to commit myself to any particular plan of action. Right now, I'm going to just concentrate on writing. I need to find my voice, and build up a body of work.
I wish you luck with your release, Virginia, and I'll keep my eyes open for it!
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