How often do you get to say DONE to an Work-in-Progress? The answer is: NEVER. At least, that's my experience. I guess when eventually the WiP becomes The Published Book, you have to leave it alone, but until then, DONE is a four-letter word.I am DONE with my first draft of my WiP, though: 67,000 words, baby!
Now I will let it take a long nap while I rewrite V-Day. Come back to it with new eyes in a few months. Sleep well, WiP!
And when I say rewrite V-Day, I mean I'm literally rewriting V-Day. I'm not just sitting down to add a little more polish and sparkle. I mean I'm sitting down without my finished document and starting over.
Call me crazy.
Honestly, though, do you think I'm crazy? I'm really, truly asking.
This is my dilemma: I rewrote the first chapter and Thia was different. Her voice was different. So, there's really not much I can salvage from the first five drafts, besides a vague storyline.
So, I'm diving into it. Maybe it's a dive off a cliff. Thankfully, I do enjoy cliff jumping (see #3) ... as long as I land in deep water. And the deep water here is that I know these characters pretty well. I also know exactly where the plot is going. For these reasons, it feels like this "draft" is writing itself. At least, so far.
I'll keep you posted.
No, I don't think you're crazy. I completely rewrote a Middle Grade suspense/thriller, even changed POV, because the main character demanded that I let her morph into what she wanted to be not what I wanted her to be. When I did the changes, I think the novel came alive. (It hasn't grabbed an agent yet, but it's better than its previous form). I learned a lot from changing it so that's a plus. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, Catherine. I keep wondering when I read that people "rewrote" their novels if they really meant "rewrote" or just did big edits. I think there's a difference. Thanks for the encouragement. :) It's so nice to know I'm not alone in this crazy endeavor.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above. I just read yesterday in my assignment that maybe changing the POV could possibly make a better story. It also suggested changing the age of the main character....not sure if that is possible; but I think you are not crazy for doing it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're crazy at all, Amy. It's what I'm planning to do with my query project once I get Bob to a beta-reader-ready place.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which. I've thought long and hard about which book to revise first, and I finally decided on Bob. I plan to let him rest for a week or two, while I sketch out a plan of attack, but definitely nowhere near a few months. So how did you decide which book to work on first? Or do you always let first drafts sit for a few months?
Sounds like a great plan, Amy, crazy or no.
ReplyDeleteHmm, Krista, good question! I really struggled with this because I was trying to do everything at once and it wasn't working. That's when I decided to finish my first draft of my WiP and then go back to this other one after that. I guess it's just whatever we feel like doing. I might get half way through this one and start pining for my WiP. If that's the case, I'll probably flip back and forth between the two. I am feeling antsy to get my WiP to a point where others can read it, but revising V-Day should be a good distraction so I can really come back at it with fresh eyes. We're lucky we can do whatever we feel like doing, I guess! Such a pampered life. :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a good idea to me! I might end up doing that with the partial draft I have from NaNoWriMo. It was a great way to get to know my characters and their stories, but there isn't very much that I'd want to keep.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Myrna. That's a great idea! Good luck. :)
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