Q: I just finished NaNoWriMo and now that I’ve completed my first draft, I can’t seem to settle down and focus to start the rewrite. Do you have any tips or ideas? A: Awesome question. First, congratulations on finishing your novel, or most of it for some folks. That is a huge accomplishment. NaNoWriMo is a great tool for authors because it forces us to set a goal. We are writing toward something. It also joins us with other writers and creates a bit of buzz and excitement, even a bit of competition, that keeps us going. Most goals are like that: end driven. We want to get to the end and achieve what we started out to do. But then what? So, you have 50,000 or more words on […]
Read the RestArchive | December, 2012
How to Edit your Fast Draft Novel Step 2: Scene by Scene
“So much snow!” Sally came into the coffee shop stamping her feet. Overnight, the sky had buried our little village in thick frosting. I sat nursing a hot cocoa. “I know. It feels a little overwhelming, thinking of plowing the driveway, the porch, the deck…” “Not unlike doing the macro edit on my novel,” Sally said, unwinding her scarf. “But I think I have the big picture/content edits figured out. What’s next?” Kathy handed her a peppermint mint mocha. Sally sat down, warming her hands on the cup. “Now it’s about looking at every scene to make sure it has enough tension and that you’re building in the emotional layers. I call it: Scene by Scene Editing.” “First, start with the scene structure. Determine if it is an Action or […]
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Four Gifts No Writer Can Do Without, Part One: Confidence
You may have never thought of it this way but confidence is a gift. Here’s how I know. Not everyone has it. Some folks, particularly writers can do the exact same thing. One gains confidence and the other has anything but. There is nothing like facing something in your writing career feeling confident. The good news is that you don’t have to sit and hope that someone will wrap some and put it under the Christmas tree for you to open on Christmas morning. You can give yourself the gift of confidence. Here’s how: Look for and acknowledge the improvements you make. You’re not getting worse at writing. You’re getting better. Even a small improvement should stand out in your mind. Don’t compare yourself. Comparing yourself to a Pulitzer Prize […]
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The Power of A Rewrite
Q: Dear Therapist, I hear that novels are not written they are rewritten. But I edit as I write. Is that considered rewriting?, all I feel I need is a final polish. Why should I spend time with a rewrite? What do I gain? A: I love this topic. To rewrite or not to rewrite… that is the question. Let’s just say up front, everyone has a different writing process. Fast, slow, edit-as-you-go, write and rewrite. Early risers, late nighters. A thousand words a day. Five thousand words a day. Writers come in all shapes and mind-sets. Some writers plot to the minute detail. Others have a loose idea of what they want to do when they sit down to write and let the story come to them day by […]
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