Wednesday, February 13, 2008

I Hate Rewrites!!!

So now that I have completed the first draft of my 50k WIP I am putting it aside for about a month so that I can look at it with fresh eyes when I start the rewrites. In order to keep myself occupied in the mean time, I am polishing my short so I can stop procrastinating and sub the thing already.

On Monday I began the rewrites to the short and it's like pulling teeth! I don't think I've successfully edited three pages yet. This is going to take forever! I really do try to have patience but I just don't see how that's going to be possible! Patience what's that? *sigh*

Does this ever happen to anyone else or am I just a lone duck swimming in circles in an empty pond?

Anyway I just needed to get that off my chest before I blew up from all of the nervous energy that can't seem to stop bouncing around in my over active brain. Thanks for listening. *waves*

26 comments:

December said...

I haven't finished anything to do re-writes or editing.

Hang in there!!

Maybe a glass of wine will dull the pain. (and blur the words!)

Jennifer Lewis said...

I hate rewrites too! All those people who say "A page of crap is better than a blank page" are nuts IMHO. I'd much rather stare at a blank page with a million possibilities. However, the good part is that once you get them done, it's really done :-D

Jen

Gina Ardito aka Katherine Brandon said...

I'm rewriting one story while doing edit revisions on another. A writer's perfect hell.

One thing I've found that worked for me when rewriting is to actually print out the pages giving me trouble, open a new document and actually REWRITE the scene. For some reason, I can see what needs to be layered, what should be removed, where the POV waffles, etc. if I'm typing the scene over again.

Good luck!

Unknown said...

I absolutely hate rewrites! It's like torture.

And yes, wine!!!

Traci Flowers said...

I learn something new every day! Great idea to leave it alone for a bit and look with fresh eyes. Thanks for the idea.

MG Braden said...

It happens to everyone. I am in the middle of a revision/edits on something I wrote a year and a half ago and I hate it. I keep finding other things to do/new stories to write. I'm only 1/2 way through and reading blogs, going to RD, etc. is way more fun. But, it has to get done because I want to send this story out and get it over with! LOL :-D

Michelle (MG)
http://www.mgbraden.com/blog

Jennifer McKenzie said...

Ugh! I hate rewrites too.
You're better than me. I usually IMMEDIATELY send it to crit partners. It's like "Out Damn Spot". LOL.
I agree with d. Wine helps. Or in my case, Whiskey.

Diana Castilleja said...

I've done rewrites a couple of different ways. One was to let the crit circle chew it up first. Not a bad method, but hard on your skin. Or you can do it a word at a time on your computer. Printing it out works too, I've done this one, like Gina said. I'm doing it that way with my current wip. Another thing I've done is printed it out, and grabbing a notebook write out the bits and lines that I need to fix, or add to. The slowness of the process makes think about it a little more.

As for if I thought they were fun? Or easy?

*one arched brow*

You're kidding, right?

Nell Dixon said...

Hugs, I find chocolate helps.

Crystal Jordan said...

OMG! I just finished completely re-writing a 90K manuscript. The pain! The agony! And then I may have to do more if they don't like it! *whimper*

Eva Gale said...

It sucks, but it's like getting a gyne checkup. You just need to get the (*&^ done.

Hang in there , this too shall pass (until you write the next one!)

Unknown said...

Oh, I sympathise like {------this-----} much. I have a 120,000 word ms that's been revised, polished, beta-read, got nearly-there-but-not-quite with several agents, and I now need to revise it again so I can send it out to publishers.
And I've done...um, very little.
I hate rewrites.
Immi
x

Tawny Taylor said...

I'm a weird one. I don't mind rewrites at all. It's my chance to make a bleh scene better and a good scene really sparkle.

Dana Belfry said...

Yup, rewrites stink, but here is some *virtual swiss chocolate* to dull the pain

Cinthia Hamer said...

Okay, Lauren, first, you're not some looney-toons duck, so you can stop sweating.

I hate rewrites...hate, hate, hate them with a purple passion (with pink polka dots even!) But, those rewrites, unless you're gutting your work and completely rewriting, are to writing what polishing is to diamond cutting.

Just took a really great workshop given by Bob Mayer (teamed with Jenny Crusie for "Don't Look Down" and "Agnes and the Hitman".

If you're interested, go out and get his "Writer's Toolkit" book. It has lots of great stuff in it, some of it about rewriting, and also about how you can avoid needless rewrites.

Okay, now you have to come visit me at MY house! ;-)

Kayko May said...

Um...I don't really mind rewrites...*hangs head in shame* After all these comments I almost feel like I should. actually, I've found I dislike the first drafting, because I know I have to rewrite anyhow. when I finally get my full idea on paper is when I begin to have fun with the writing, trying to find better metaphors/similes, phrasings and sayings, dialogue, imagery, transitions. I love that, and that's when I feel I am actually writing...the first draft is my hell, frustration pure.

Kristen Painter said...

Putting the book aside for a while is a great idea. I don't know any other way to get fresh eyes for a piece. And you'll get through it, you'll see.

Gemma Halliday said...

Um, don’t hate me but… rewrites are my favorite. I HATE the first draft process. Like pulling teeth. I’m sure everything I write is trash. It’s in the rewrite process that I realize some of it may not be so bad after all.

~Gemma

bettie said...

It helps to work on something else a little between 1st draft and rewrites. Choose something light and completely different. It's like the salad or the sorbet fancy restaurants serve between courses to "cleanse the palate."

When you get back to your draft, you'll be refreshed and better able to appreciate it.

Janice Seagraves said...

comHi Lauren,

Maybe your need to put your baby(MS) away for longer period of time, I did that and now can see the problem area a lot better.

Janice~

Nalini Singh said...

Hey, look at it this way - if you're doing rewrites, it means you've written a book. How many people can say that?

Hope it's flowing smoothly for you :)

Jerri said...

My problem is, I edit while I write the first draft, which means it takes forever to finish a book. Very frustrating. Hang in there. You're not alone.

Toni Sue said...

Patience? What's that?? ;) DEEEEP cleansing breath...in through the nose...out through the mouth. It's all good :D

R.G. ALEXANDER said...

I feel your pain. LOL
But I always found that after the rewrites and edits I felt a million times better about the story.

Antonia Pearce said...

Arghh!! I hate rewrites, too. I add in scenes, then I start getting all confused about the continuity. Gah! Terrible. I'd much rather write something from scratch, but it's worth it to make a story work.

Good luck!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lauren,

I actually enjoy the rewrite stage. I think of it as remoulding and improving my raw first draft. Yes, sometimes, it's painful because I need to cut scenes etc or favorite scenes but I try to think about all the brilliant improvements I'm making. I have to admit, though, that liberal application of chocolate can sometimes help.