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| Jim White - Drill a Hole |
Some of you may remember this post from last fall when I was just starting my story. I talked about doing things differently. And even though I am officially done with the first draft I am still doing things in a whole new way. Ordinarily I'd be plunging right back at it with revisions and edits. But instead I'm following some sage advice I read somewhere which suggested taking a break from your work before jumping right into revising. I think it said you were supposed to wait three months before looking at it again. But honestly, I can't wait three months. I'm not getting any younger sitting here, right?
Anyway, I haven't looked at it for an entire week. I've thought about it, but I've kept myself pretty busy with a little gem I hadn't looked at for a while. I may do something with it. Or, I may follow through with the story that came out of the Lightning Flashed Blogfest. I have that mostly outlined. But we'll see. For now I'm just allowing myself to write whatever I want for three weeks. Then I'll start revisions. Hopefully it will go well since I've got lots of notes from my critique partner (thank you Dianne!) as well my own purple pen scattered all through the manuscript. Until then, I'm just going to enjoy the warm weather and write what I like.
Oh, and I cleaned my desk off. Not a single 3 x 5 card, moved the books around, and placed the screen directly in front of me. We'll see if that helps :)
What are you doing? Enjoying the summer? Reading a good book? Writing lots? Or less? Do tell :)
Holy crap. Can you AT Least SHARE it with me??!!
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck are you waiting on. I'm getting older here also. Give, give. Share, share.
*toe tapping*
I agree with the whole waiting thing, but I do it after the second go through. I like to dive right back in after the first draft while the story is still fresh in my mind.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm FREAKING OUT! Thought I'd do a bit of that this summer...yup. Found out I'm pretty good at it too.. :) HA!
ReplyDeleteI like to let my writing stew in its own juices, so to speak, for about a month. That seems to be enough time for me to get enough distance from things to come at it with a different perspective. See the most blatant screw ups.
I agree with the waiting philosophy as well. But it is HARD! I'm just getting started with a first draft of my latest project. Love first drafts! :)
ReplyDeleteI never wait very long. By the time I finish a manuscript, I've forgotten how it began!
ReplyDeleteI hear 6 weeks is a good amount of time to let a manuscript sit. It might've been Stephen King who said it. Good luck with it! And it's exciting to write some new projects while you wait. :)
ReplyDeleteI let things sit and work on other things. Speaking of, it's about time I got that other story out again...
ReplyDeleteI should be doing something this summer. Maybe tomorrow.
It's really hard for me to jump into a new project right after I've finished one. I usually have a month or two transition point in there. Can't edit and can't write anything new. It's often the one time of year my house gets clean from top to bottom, even the fridge, because I'm not writing. :P
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm in the stuck zone again trying to figure out an important puzzle piece to my story. Sigh.
Good thinking with waiting a little before editing. It'll give you a clearer head :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with the people who say they need to drive quickly into the second draft. I can give it a rest after that, because the second draft is usually the one I send to beta readers.
ReplyDeleteThis time, though, I have a short story to work on, so there might be some simmering time between draft one and two.
Not that I'm there yet. :D Two chapters to go ...
Sounds good! I think I made it a week before I busted out the red pen and went at my ms, but then I found that it truly does help to wait. I've probably waited too long now (got started on other stuff), but at least it will be fresh when I return...? I'm really not getting much writing done this summer, but I've decided to write down any writing contests/submission requests I'm interested in so I can take them with me wherever I go and get to writing on that when I'm out of the house. We'll see how that goes!
ReplyDeleteI've been doing both a lot of reading and a lot of writing this summer. (Too bloody HOT to spend much time outside.) I think the amount of time one should take, and when one should take it, is very subjective. There's a lot to be said about the "fresh eyes" one has after letting a work simmer in its own juices for a while, but there's also an advantage in keepint at it while one still has momentum. But you're a smartie. You'll know when you're ready to get back at it.
ReplyDeleteLove the new header-- and I can't wait three months either. But I did wait for quite a while on the last bit- so that's a start.
ReplyDelete