Happy New Year, friends! 2015 is here and I'm still behind on my editing, but I press forward.
I'm currently in the reread process of week one from The 90-day Rewrite. I say "I'm in the process" like it's specifically directed, but week one focuses on the outline, which, for Om Nom Nombies, at least, took roughly two hours to complete. Rereading is only referred to in one sentence, basically an "if you want to" kind of deal. Then week two goes right into rewriting. I've adapted the questions in week one to my reread and am highlighting my errors as I go, color coded as shorthand notes to myself. This makes the rereading go much faster, as I only have to take the time to write one or two comments per page. With a 335 page story, it adds up.
Yes, that says "sin." POV seemed straight forward to me, but I never realized how much I slipped up until I took the Gotham SFF class last year. And in this manuscript I have sinned greatly.
Another note from the Gotham class on this manuscript. The topic for one week was beginnings and endings, and for the exercise we were to submit three different beginnings to a story set at three different times in said story. I use Nombies and wrote a new beginning before my set beginning, used my original beginning, and then used the start of the second chapter. My instructor liked the last the best. In an effort to be nice he said, about my actual beginning, "This reads as though the author is trying too hard." Bless him, this wasn't public criticism, it was only between him and myself! On the reread, though, I have to agree, in the first chapter I am trying way way too hard.
The last day of week one instructs me to reflect on whether I want to continue with this project and commit to editing for 83 more days, or not. It is tempting, but I think it raises some important points. I am about to be very busy with school, but unless someone locks me in a cabin with a computer for good, I will always be busy, so that argument is invalid.
It also makes me think about my goals for this story as a whole. Nombies is my second novel ever to complete, and the first novel ever to attempt to edit. Nombies is also different from the other projects I have started and I am planning. If I make it my first release, any fans that like it will be unlikely to be fans of the rest of my stuff. Not that great for my brand-to-be. I could release it under another name. I could wait and release it after some of my other work, if I feel like there would be an interest. I haven't decided yet and I don't have to decide for a long time. One thing I know that I want to do with this story is edit it. If the only thing I do is edit it, I will be happy, because I will have made this story better, learning how to edit in the process. I can take that knowledge and use it for the rest of my writing life.
Next week, assuming I finish the reread, I'll actually start the rewriting.
I'm currently in the reread process of week one from The 90-day Rewrite. I say "I'm in the process" like it's specifically directed, but week one focuses on the outline, which, for Om Nom Nombies, at least, took roughly two hours to complete. Rereading is only referred to in one sentence, basically an "if you want to" kind of deal. Then week two goes right into rewriting. I've adapted the questions in week one to my reread and am highlighting my errors as I go, color coded as shorthand notes to myself. This makes the rereading go much faster, as I only have to take the time to write one or two comments per page. With a 335 page story, it adds up.
Another note from the Gotham class on this manuscript. The topic for one week was beginnings and endings, and for the exercise we were to submit three different beginnings to a story set at three different times in said story. I use Nombies and wrote a new beginning before my set beginning, used my original beginning, and then used the start of the second chapter. My instructor liked the last the best. In an effort to be nice he said, about my actual beginning, "This reads as though the author is trying too hard." Bless him, this wasn't public criticism, it was only between him and myself! On the reread, though, I have to agree, in the first chapter I am trying way way too hard.
The last day of week one instructs me to reflect on whether I want to continue with this project and commit to editing for 83 more days, or not. It is tempting, but I think it raises some important points. I am about to be very busy with school, but unless someone locks me in a cabin with a computer for good, I will always be busy, so that argument is invalid.
It also makes me think about my goals for this story as a whole. Nombies is my second novel ever to complete, and the first novel ever to attempt to edit. Nombies is also different from the other projects I have started and I am planning. If I make it my first release, any fans that like it will be unlikely to be fans of the rest of my stuff. Not that great for my brand-to-be. I could release it under another name. I could wait and release it after some of my other work, if I feel like there would be an interest. I haven't decided yet and I don't have to decide for a long time. One thing I know that I want to do with this story is edit it. If the only thing I do is edit it, I will be happy, because I will have made this story better, learning how to edit in the process. I can take that knowledge and use it for the rest of my writing life.
Next week, assuming I finish the reread, I'll actually start the rewriting.
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