I bit the bullet and scanned through my manuscript, mostly just to make a list of scenes I need to add and rewrite, and to reassure myself it's not a total piece of crap. And it's not, at least not totally. But that is why I call it the crap draft (rough is too kind a word).
I went old school and made my list with an actual pencil and paper. My goal was to give myself a mental break, and separate the beginning of the editing process in my mind as much as possible from the writing process. Hmm. Not entirely sure how it worked out. It was fun writing it out, but I'm having to type it up anyway because a) I get anal over line spacings and stuff when I write things out, and b) eventually my kids will find and destroy this paper.
It was both frightening and freeing to make this list. I know what I still have to write. Hopefully now that I know my characters better the scenes that gave me issues before will come out more smoothly.
It also helped to go back and reread the scenes I am already pretty happy with. To remind myself that even in crap drafts there are gems.
Wow. You are seriously my hero, sitting there, editing YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WROTE!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! We get to go through the joys of editing together! I think making a list by hand was a good idea. Sometimes you just have to break the monotony. I can't wait to read your book!
ReplyDeleteYour handwriting is so much neater than mine! Of course, that might be because your notes are way more concise than mine. I filled an entire spiral notebook with scribbles.
ReplyDeleteNow begins the fun part--taking your story apart and putting it back together again! Gentleman, we can rebuild it. We can make it better than it was before. Stronger than it was before. Faster than it was before. Better Stronger. Faster.
*cough* Yep, I'm a nerd.
Congratulations!