Comments on: Another rewriting question

By: carrie

carrie — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:31:12 +0000

I rarely revise as I go because i never know where i’m going and will usually end up changing things later in the plot that will require me to go back and fix earlier things. it’s not until i get to the end that i know if things will be set in stone enough to revise. crazy, i know.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:43:44 +0000

lately, i’ve become an extremely superstitious writer, b/c it seems like one tiny thing can screw it all up. part of that is that i’m afraid to go back and reread anything i’ve written, b/c what happened in the past was that i’d go back and then get hung up on revising what i’d already done, and then i’d never finish it. finishing is hard enough without finding one more way to distract myself. there were two first drafts i wrote without once going back and so much as peeking at them. most of the time, i only go back if i have to remember some minor character’s name or the color of someone’s hair, etc.

but i think i’m weird. and it’s soooo hard not to go back and start reading. it’s much easier to just read, rather than figure out what to do next.

By: Kadie-Wa

Kadie-Wa — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:12:11 +0000

I find it easer to rewrite when I have to. Like, if I find spots where i made huge mistakes, or if someone else notices them. Or else, I would rather not rewrite at all. It’s tough!!

By: Mary Elizabeth S.

Mary Elizabeth S. — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:09:26 +0000

i’m kind of like scott, in that i like to go over the last few days’ writing before i start in again. but, unlike scott, i don’t do much with it, i just make notes or change small things. it helps me get back in the flow, and sometimes even catch oddness or offness i missed when i first wrote it.

~mary

By: PJ Hoover

PJ Hoover — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:25:52 +0000

I try to get through the whole thing first before doing any rewrites. When I find something which requires a plot change, instead of going back and changing it right away, I insert a comment so I go back to it as soon as the first draft is done.
But I do like Patrick’s philosophy. Sounds like a good New Year’s Resolution.

By: Justine

Justine — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:59:28 +0000

Patrick: Uh huh.

Adrienne: It can be fun, can’t it?

By: adrienne vrettos

adrienne vrettos — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:56:10 +0000

I really like to get as far as I can into a first draft before revising, or even re-reading it. It’s often a hot mess by the time I do sit down to mark it up, but I find being able to read the whole the thing from start to almost finish really, really enjoyable.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:48:16 +0000

I find it is easiest just to write it perfect the first time.