And I freaked. And came to a freakin' wheel-squeelin' brake-slammin' HALT.
*cries tears of self-pity*
So in honor of my blueness and the KING OF ROCK AND ROLL'S BIRTHDAY (a wee bit late as it was this past saturday) I give you:
ELVIS performing BLUE Suede Shoes
In honor of our THEME for JANUARY...something HOT:
ELVIS singing FEVER
And here's a picture of a sandwich Elvis is famous for. Click on it for a blog that provides you with the recipe. Try it and come back to let us know what you think.
you may find other recipes (that aren't connected to the late singer) on the blog as well
Anybody else out there ever have to completely rewrite a manuscript? Why? [first to third/third to first pov? plot issues? hook issues (like me)?] How'd you get through it? Was it worth it?
Erica, Christy, poor you! Why not take a break, come over to The Farm and smell the flowers?
ReplyDeleteLove the King (and we have another King at The Farm! coincidence or what? :))
Will check out the recipe blog. Thanks!
I did rewrite my first manuscript, from beginning to end. It was a slow process, but I think it was worth it in the end. I had way too much head-hopping and way too many POVs. I just needed to include the important characters and the important scenes. It's such a task, so I feel your pain!
ReplyDelete♥ Mary Mary
Mmm . . . peanut butter and banana sandwiches!
Oh, Christy,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry. I know it tough. It took me a year to rip Amber up. I had to combine chapters, cut thousands of words, completely rewrite more than half the book. So I can relate.
I took a few months off and I am currently writing WIP, only another 10000 to go. Yah! But guess what I'll be doing after? Going back to Amber and make the final alterations. Yes, it's worth it, and so is yours. Your novel has a great premise, and your voice is there, with a bit more hard work you'll get it right. Don't give up.... I will never let you. lol
Michael
Awe no!! I know it sucks and it's hard BUT the bright side is, if you're doing it, it needed it and your MS will be a shining star when you are done! No fear! It will kick so much butt when you're done! And you will think "man, I'm so glad I did that!"
ReplyDeleteI do have a manuscript I have to completely overhaul later this year and I'm not looking forward to it. It has every issue you listed. EVERY one. It's the first novel I ever wrote and I think it deserves to see the light of day. Whether or not I'm up to the monolithic task, we shall see!
ReplyDeleteI am doing a third to first right now--I SO hear you! Though I didn't open a new doc. I go through the hard copy and mark my changes. Make '*' marks where new sections go. It is the first of two full rewrites I have planned this year and I am a little nervous.
ReplyDeleteOn the one I'm on, I've read it all, made notes on the changes, and marked IN the MS where the first half of those go... baby steps... but trying to crank them out... Good luck! (love early Elvis)
I just finished a total rewrite and it was very painful. I had all kinds of problems that I didn't realize were problems when I started.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about hitting a wall around Chapter 5 or 6. I think Chapter 6 was the toughest for me to write for some reason because it was where my story started shifting gears a lot. In the end, I just thought to myself, "If this part is so clunky, maybe it's because it's not needed." Then I just tried to think of a simpler way to get everyone to Chapter 7 and that helped a lot.
Good luck on your editing!
I completely rewrote (well, 2/3 rewrote) my first ms based on a LOT of questions and comments from my beta. It was a challenge, but in the end, it was infinitely better than the original.
ReplyDeleteHang in there. You'll get through it! :)
I am very glad I wrote this post. I felt a little bit like a failure since I needed to do a complete rewrite and not just major edits/revisions. I had no idea so many others have to do the same thing. I really appreciate your comments on this one. Hearing about your struggles and process is incredibly helpful and will keep me movin'on!
ReplyDeleteGrandpa! What a great idea. I'll stop by later tonight!
Michael, I know some of what you've gone through and I know you've learned a lot from your first MS and in doing the rewrite. I think it's made a huge difference in the way you went about writing your second and third.
Mary Mary, I didn't head hop, but I added a kazillion mundane details so I needed to figure out where the true plot was hidden before rewriting!
Thanks so much for the confidence boost, Colene!
Heather, we must all learn so much during the process of writing novel #1. I guess it makes sense that we go back to it for improvements. The premise got us through it the first time, improving the writing has to motivate us the second!
Hart- I thought about doing a first to third, but decided to leave it. It's for the best. I'm glad you shared your process with me. I think that's the point I'm at right now. I've passed the old to new point so I'm about to go through the original (with a strike through key) to decide what ideas can be used (if any!)
Lisa, EXACTLY. SO happy to hear from someone who has completed the process. And it sure makes me feel better knowing someone else had those chapters that acted out. I, too, decided most of chapter six just needed to be deleted.
Huh. That seems to be the theme for this rewrite. cut, cut, cut.
I guess in the end what used to be a 115k novel will be about 60-80k. Works for me!
Best of luck to you all. I hope you come back to update me on your rewrites. Or write about it on your blogs so I can "hear" about it!
Christy
Alison, you snuck in there on me! I suppose there's no question my rewrite will be an improved version of the original, but my biggest fear is that I'm wasting time a story that isn't worth it. I know, I know I need to believe in it if I ever expect anyone else to, and I do, but once in a while (every fourth day or so) I have a day when I'm staring at the story wondering if I should just move on. Or if I'm not improving it in the best possible way. AND believe me, I don't want to redo it a third time!!!!
ReplyDeleteChristy
That sandwich is just WRONG! I'm sorry, I know one shouldn't knock it till you've tried it, but...no, no, no! I can hear all the Gordon Ramsays in the world bashing their heads with frying pans!
ReplyDeleteP.S.: You have an award waiting for you at my site!
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/awards/
Aw, bummer. I hope you can get out of the rewrite blues and get back into the excitement you had earlier. With revisions it's hard to mesh old with the new, but with a rewrite, I bet its even harder. Because I'm sure there are parts you want to keep, or at least the ideas. COming up with new ways to do it would probably make me come to a screeching halt as well. Good luck Christy, we're all rooting for you!
ReplyDeleteYes...I did rewrite "The Treasures of Carmelidrium," more than once. And the sequel will also be a rewrite. And I'm sure all the rest of my stories will also go through the rewrite blues. That's because, ideas pop in my head while I'm writing and I have to back track to include them. It's also because I blunder a lot.
ReplyDeleteNancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author