When should you rewrite a book? | Editing Tips
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- If you've got an old project in the drawer, sometimes the easiest and smoothest way to revise it is just to start fresh and rewrite the entire piece. Though it may seem like a drastic measure, sometimes it's the best option. Today we're talking about the rewriting process, when it might be right for you, and a few tips for a successful rewrite.
Analyzing Your Draft: • Assessing Your Manuscr...
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:47 - Rewriting vs editing
2:11 - Reread the piece
2:57 - Analyze the draft
3:49 - Find a new angle for your rewrite
4:52 - Make a plan
6:08 - Rewrite, then reread
7:04 - Keep up the momentum
9:02 - Be intentional
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Trying to calmly repeat to myself that this video is a coincidence and not the universe whispering to me that I need to do a complete rewrite.
I was terrified by the idea of rewriting first and decided to face is off,and there I planned it into parts, scheduled it and when I was done with it I was really proud of my book this time
I don't write stories anymore. I write songs. I traumatized myself with the overly forced writing and self judge and isolation. This video is actually making me feel lonely. Anyone reading this, dont obsess over word count and continue living your normal life with a love for writing.
I feel so bad for youuuu :( i really am going to try not to make this mistake!
I tend to rewrite as part of the process. For short and novel length. The first go is about figuring out the story; plot, main conflict, which characters and POVs I'll need. The rewrite is about making it editable for publishing.
One thing that finally clicked in my head from this video is that a rewrite means just that. I’d been putting up my original draft side by side with the new document and then scratching my head about why I’m stuck.
Currently rewriting my novel so this was really helpful! I'm nearly halfway in and it does feel like a chore but is so much better in structure style content etc that it's worth all the trouble!
Thank you. I’ve been looking for something like this for ages!
I’m finding that I enjoy rewriting-I see it as polishing the pearl-but I definitely need to keep up the momentum. My goal is to cut 30k words, which is manageable with baby steps. Thank you for the tips!
Thanks for this!
I could never start over. The alterations are always made to what is already there, even if the alterations are extensive. I have only kept serious notes for one of my tales which happens to be approximately 264,000 words long, mainly to keep on top of all that happens and all that needed to be done. My next longest tale stands at 112,000 words and was much easier to stay on top of.
Looking for recurring words, and alter them without altering the context of that section of the story.
I rewrite just about every story I create just because I didn’t think it sounded right.
Actual books are something I can't comment on, because the ones I've written so far have never survived the rough draft.
Plays, however, are a different story. Being a playwright means there's a special joy in the rewrites: the closer your play gets to being put on a stage, the more you're zeroing in on the aspects that make it truly work. A lot of it has to do with seeing who's coming in to collaborate with you, i.e. the director to whom the play will be entrusted and possibly some actors who got cast without an audition. Knowing these things, you can make the story tighter or looser. You can make the jokes funnier in a given context. You can introduce (or cut down on) visuals and sounds to match the production's budget.
I've rewritten my book from scratch at least 4 times...it is exhausting and not a process I'd recommend if you can avoid it, but now I have a draft worth revising/editing, so it was worth it in the end.
Sometimes, I get stuck in draft 1. I can not figure out how to tweak the bit I just wrote so it will work, I found I just have to chuck it: start all over
Well, deciding to scrap the pov character from four books worth of manuscripts and replacing them with someone else sounds like rewriting....
So rewriting isn't a MUST? Can I just edit it?
I came back to my first
The answer for me is NEVER. I have done it twice in 20 year career as a full-time author. It is ridiculously complicated to rewrite a book trying to salvage anything. It takes far longer to rewrite than it does to write. I’m not talking about a deep edit, where your story remains essentially the same. In a rewrite, it’s something huge that’s wrong. If it came to it for me, I would throw it all out and write something entirely new.
I find rewrite 100 times harder than writing. Takes about a 100 times longer too.
Let's Go Brandon!