Monday, July 12, 2010

Knee Deep in Re-write Hell

So you think you have this great idea. You plot your story out, outline it, and in a frenzy of ideas you end up with a 100 or so completed pages ... and then it happens.

You have a better idea that was better than your last idea (and the idea before that and so on) .... and you are starting all over ... again.

It's like a disease. Seriously. The novel that I am currently working on (and yes, it's my baby) I have rewrote this thing 4 times. Granted, each time I feel the plot is better and the characters are stronger, but come on ...

Sigh ...

Good news ... I've submitted a short story for publication. Cross your fingers, toes, and legs!

4 comments:

  1. Then after all those rewrites, your agent asks you to do it again. Not once, not twice, but three times including changing points of view. After that, your publisher has you rewrite it all over again rearranging plot elements. Hey! Then you get to edit the revision. :)

    It never ends, but as you pointed out, it makes the book better and makes US better writers.

    Good luck with your novel and congrats on the short story and shiny new blog.

    Mary
    http://www.marylindsey.com

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  2. Good luck with the short story! I'm going through the same thing with a new, shiny idea, but I did give it my all with my last WIP before I dove into this one. It was tempting to stop my last one, but luckily I had enough passion for it at the time.
    Congrats on the new blog! I found you from QT.

    Lydia
    http://lydiakang.blogspot.com

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  3. You know ... I think if I actually landed an agent, I'd be so happy that if they asked me to rewrite the whole thing, I would do so happily.

    That is, after running around my neighborhood, naked and screaming for joy. I swear.

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  4. Re-writes are tough but they make you and the MS stronger. Chin up and keep on moving.

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