Progress.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purplecthulhu at 09:21pm on 08/01/2008
| |
57742 / 100,000 (57.7%) |
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18 |
19
|
20
|
|
21
|
22
|
23
|
24
|
25
|
26
|
27
|
|
28
|
29
|
30
|
31
|
(no subject)
Here's what I did on my first novel and am planning to do on the subsequent ones (timescales permitting):
1) leave the first draft well alone for as long as possible (months, ideally). Keep a file running on stuff that occurs to you about the first draft in this period, but don't let yourself actually look at what you've written.
2) print it out (yes I know, it kills trees, but I can't work well from screen)
3) read through from start to finish making loads of notes either on the back of your print-out or in your 'rewrites' file, or probably both (scene rewrites noted on the mss, major rewrites as in your online file of changes to do)
4) apply the changes, workign through in the (new) story order. Some people actually re-type. I just worship teh gods of cut 'n paste (how did anythign get written before computers?)
5) repeat till novel sells
Like I say, that worked for me (though there were a lot of 'repeats' for 'Principles of Angels').
(no subject)
I'd already got the 'leave well alone' bit, but hadn't thought about keeping notes on changes. I've already got a lot of ideas for changes, though the larger ones are less concrete (eg. the switching from one character PoV to the other with each longish chapter isn't working that well. Instead I think I need to switch much more often. This will make some of the time sequencing rather odd at the start, but this might make things more intriguing and gives a lot more opportunities for tension building). I guess that means that sorting the new order will be the first job.
Printing out - yes, I can't work with the screen for this kind of thing either. Fortunately I've just ordered a laser printer that does duplex printing.
In my month(s) off the novel I plan to get back to all those short story projects that got put on hold after this project took control after Milford. Hopefully I should have 3 rewritten and submittable new stories soon after I get this draft done.
However, it's going to be over 100000 in first draft so I don't know when I'm going to finish. At least the story is moving, and the characters are bloody well going to head to where they're meant to be going very soon.
Now where was that narrative whip...