Today, another editing day, was largely spent doing re-writes. Well, when I say "largely" I mean two little sections from two different chapters but still, as far as I'm concerned, that constitutes a lot of re-writes.
Maybe this is conceited, but I honestly don't re-write from scratch very often. Editing, for me, is mostly fixing structural problems (like my ENORMOUS sentences) and trimming fat, but rarely do I feel the need to actually open a new document and take a second stab at something. When I do even that, it's typically a paragraph or two, nothing more.
It's been commented that when I turn in a first draft, it's often a comprehension level more or less equivalent with most people's third or fourth drafts. I tend to ruminate more over each individual sentence before putting it to paper (a reason I'd probably BLOW at NaNoWriMo) and subsequently spend more time on a first draft than most.
Nevertheless, today I drastically shortened a three-paragraph scene in Chapter 16 and re-conceived a confrontation between two major characters that, in retrospect, majorly changes the nature of their relationship not just in HULL DAMAGE, but in GALACTIC MENACE especially.
I rewarded myself with a glass of rich cream soda. Yum.
Also, I've bookmarked this forever.
I actually wrote a whole blog one time about how re-writes were totally un-necessary. (This train of thought pisses a lot of people off, oh well)
ReplyDeleteIt really boiled down to, "if you didn't like it, then why did you write it in the first place?"
Re-write the whole thing? What a vast waste of TIME... Okay, so if you have an entirely different idea/direction you want to go with, I can understand why an entire re-write would make sense. But if not? If you like it? Why start over again? That's just silly.
Now, opening a new document and making corrections, or adding to it, or editing the crap outta it is one thing.
But is there really a NEED for a re-write? ... no.
I applaud your way of thinkng on this.
Oh yeah, and every single FREAKING year at least six people try and DRAG my into NANO wri mo...
I'm working on way too many things to mess with that :P