Updates and Stuff I’ve Learned
I have been a baaaad blogger. Very bad. In my defense, I have been basically locked in my internet free office for the past 10 days pounding out 35K words. *halo*
I *think* it’s going well, and I have a feeling I won’t be totally confident in it all until I type The End and can go back and survey it all. But I have learned things from this, I really have.
Now, when I had to rewrite The Inherited Bride, my editor told me, this is the kind of book you write ‘across’ and then on the second time through you write down deep. When I did the rewrite, I understood what she meant by going deep. In the original version, I had the characters…ish…the conflict…ish, but not quite pinpointed…and the plot. And on the second pass through I was able to get down into the characters, characters I already knew, and truly find the real heart of the conflict.
And this MS has been the same. But I had this sudden, odd realization while I was writing a scene the other day: I couldn’t have written this on the first draft. I couldn’t have found this very special, essential scene on the first time through the book. Because the first time through, I hadn’t gotten down into what the book *really* was yet.
That isn’t true for every book. But for The Inherited Bride, and for my Frenchman, it is. Not to say someone else couldn’t have done it in one take, but for me, this is definitely something that was too complex for me to explore thoroughly the first time through.
And now, drawing on things I discovered about the characters in the first version, I’m able to bring more focus to the MS. I know the character journeys, the conflicts, what worked when exploring them, and what didn’t. I also saw things in the first version that were superfluous, and yet they didn’t seem like it until midway through this version. I figured out ways to streamline it, to use the plot, the external, to advance the central, internal conflict, and to have it all tie together to make it all more cohesive.
It’s funny, because, let’s face it, no one really wants to hear they need to rewrite a book, but it seems like when I do, I emerge from it with a greater understanding of writing, and of my own process. And it’s always a book I end up feeling more connected with than one I didn’t spend as much time on, one that didn’t stretch me quite as much as a writer.
So, I’m actually enjoying this process. Feeling close with my characters, which isn’t always the best thing, but it’s happened. Crying for them, smiling for them, dreading their black moment and so looking forward to their happily ever after.
What’s new with all of you?
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Wow, great post and good advice. Thanks Maisey, now I feel when the time comes for me (if it ever does!) I shouldn’t dread rewrites but welcome it!
That’s what I’ve been telling myself: rewriting my rather muddled mss is going to make it so much better. Thanks for helping me believe it !
Thanks for sharing, Maisey. I can feel the flashbulb after-glow in this post! (no, replace flashbulb with chandalier!!) m
Saw it as soon as I posted-it’s 7am here on Monday morning and I’m supposed to be getting ready for work instead I’m reading my, Maisey Advice-good enough excuse??!! m
All my mss are like that. Have to do a first draft to discover the characters/conflict and it’s not until I rewrite it that I get to the real heart of it. Tricky stuff.
This is a fabulous book btw… 🙂
I always feel there are certain “holes” in the story the first time through, some things work well enough but they just aren’t “there.” I usually panic and want to chuck the whole thing but if I persevere I often find I can make it all work – eventually. Maybe.
Nas, it’s all right to dread them. It’s part of the process. As long as you trust that you can do it, and in the end, you’ll be happier with the results. 🙂
Julia, I think that’s a good attitude, because it helps keep you from getting paralyzed by doubts. If you expect it all to be perfect at first, it’s easy to stall and not make progress.
Margie, *blushes* aww…shucks! And yes, it’s been very light-bulbish. 😀
Jackie, thank you so much! You’re been such a huge help to me on this one! (As always)
Anne, that’s the key! moving forward and casting off those pesky doubts. You know what La Nora says. You can edit crap, but you can’t edit a blank page. 🙂
I love that Nora Roberts quote. I have to say you make rewriting sound almost fun Maisey 🙂
In *some* ways it is, Lacey, once I settle in and get past the YOU’RE NOT MY MS!! stage. Then I start going…oooh! I hadn’t realized that about her! Oh, that’s true about him! Wow! That IS the real heart of his problem! And that’s when it’s fun. 🙂
Maisey,
How DO you get past the “YOU’RE NOT MY MS!” stage? I really need to get some objectivity as I hammer out these revisions. Thanks!
Trenda, it takes a while. :/ It’s a matter of writing through that feeling, I think. I had the feeling of ‘this is better’ much earlier on with this one than I do sometimes.
Sometimes I just have to push through and trust, even if it’s hard. No magic formula, sadly. And the feeling comes and goes. But never, ever, when all was said and done have I wished I’d stuck with version one. So that’s comforting!
Maisey, thank you so much for the advice. I’m to the point right now where I can’t see anything good in the ms. Probably because I’ve looked at it so much. Sometimes I wish there were a magic potion that would let me come to the ms with truly fresh eyes!
Thanks again,
Trenda