Writing is Rewriting
Writing is rewriting is a phrase many authors hear, but not as many employ. Rewriting my novel is always an important process to me; this where you get the story to really shine. I spent a lot of time rewriting my latest Young Adult fantasy novel, The Giant’s Giants. If you haven’t checked it out yet, there’s a link in the description to Amazon. Read the reviews, they’re great. In fact, a surprising thing about The Giant’s Giant is that it seems to reach across age groups to young kids and adults of all ages. You see, I don’t like to put graphic violence or blood and guts into my books. I like to focus on characters, their struggles, and challenges; maybe that’s why The Giant’s Giant is resonating with readers of all ages.
Anyway, that’s not why I’m here to talk with you: Writing is Rewriting. I’m here to talk about the second book in The Giants of StoneHold series. Book 2 is called The Giant’s Sacrifice. I’m excited to tell you that I finished the first draft and I’m in the rewriting process, so let’s get to work.
There’s a saying amongst authors:
Writing is Rewriting.
That’s absolutely true. The first draft is just the beginning of the writing process.
Terry Pratchett, author of the famous Discworld series of fantasy novels, 40 in total, said,
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett
Mr. Pratchett is a very wise man, and he’s right, the first draft of your story is just you figuring out all the nuts and bolts. When I first started writing, I didn’t fully understand “Writing is Rewriting.” That’s probably because I was a newbie, and my writing sucked. But the first time I read one of my books out loud, Writing is Rewriting made a lot of sense. Most of us never get it right the first time we put quill to parchment, and the impatient authors out there (that was me) were so focused on getting published, we forgot something important – we should always be delivering the best product we can for our readers. Writing is Rewriting is the reminder that we must keep improving our manuscripts, to make sure it is as good as possible.
For me, I go through a lengthy rewriting process. Here’s what I do:
Write the 1st draft, then:
Rewrite 1 – Plot – Are the plot points well defined? Are the stakes clear and are they important to the protagonist? Does the plot vary in pacing to keep it interesting? (I usually spend very little time with this rewrite as I spend A LOT of time outlining the plot, but this rewrite always gets a read-through, just to make sure I’ve done a good job with the plot.)
Rewrite 2 – Character arc – Have I developed the characters well so that they feel real to the reader? Do they have a problem that the reader can empathize with? Will they root for the character? Can I use the character at the Dark Night of the Soul (check out my Writing Tip HERE) to squeeze a couple of tears out of the reader? Will they cheer for the protagonist at the end because the reader is completely invested in their success?
Rewrite 3 – Dialogue – Is the dialogue engaging. Is there action in the dialogue, no BOGSAT (bunch of guys sitting and talking) (Check out my Writing Tip HERE)? Am I minimizing the dialogue identifiers (he said, she said)? Am I using sensory details in the dialogue passages? Am I adding conflict in the dialogue?
Rewrite 4 – Setting – Have I used imagery to SHOW the reader the scene rather than TELL them? Am I linking the setting to the emotions of the character (a scared character will notice different things than a happy character)? Does the reader feel as if they’re in the scene with the character? Are there sufficient unique features in the scene to keep it interesting?
Rewrite 5 – Tension – Have I continually increased the tension throughout the story? Do the obstacles faced by the protagonist get bigger and bigger? Have I used Plot Questions at the end of the chapters (check out my Writing Tip HERE)? Am I controlling the sentence length to match the level of tension? Am I varying the sentence length to avoid feeling repetitive (check out my Writing Tip on Sentence Structure HERE)?
Rewrite 6 – Read aloud – I always do one last reading before I send it to my editor, to get her feedback, and I do it by reading the story to myself out loud. I feel kinda foolish when I’m doing this, so I go into the basement and bundle up (it’s cold down there) and I read. You’ll be surprised how many bad sentences or repetitive sentences or instances of echoing (repeated words – see my Writing Tip HERE) or just bad writing you’ll spot when you read your story out loud. This is a MUST. Don’t skip it because you’re in a hurry – this is crucial.
I hope this insight into my writing process was interesting and helpful. Let me know what you think in the comments below and check out my writing tips; the link is in the description.
Mark
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