I'm working on getting things together and edited for publication! This is exciting!
It also means I've got a lot, and I mean a LOT, of work ahead of me for some of the stories I want to put out there.
I'm getting Angela's help with initial editing/proofing work, and I'll be contacting Katie for formatting help after. I'm working on cover ideas, and I've got one of my cousins lined up to do the final digital color and layout work for me.
That leaves the actual rewriting and reworking work to me.
Most of what I've got shouldn't be hard. A handful of short stories, and Dear John, shouldn't be too bad.
Oh, Cheers, though?
As much as I love it for its place in my past, and for helping me establish myself as an author here, that story is a hot mess, to put it lightly, and is going to take a whole lotta love to get it ready for publication.
So, here's the question. I already know I'm gonna end up rewriting the entire thing, that's a no-brainer. I want opinions on how close I should stick to the original when I do, though.
The third act is pretty much gone already, but the first and second parts are fairly solid for how amateur they are. Should I stick closely to what I've got there, basically just cleaning things up, until the big changes in the third part? Or should I use what I have now as a very rough outline, and just go to town on events from the beginning to the end?
Lemme know what ya'll think!
Melanie E.
Comments
You know how I feel about the
You know how I feel about the third act - the storyline was OK, but you rushed through it to get to the end.
I would stay as close as you can to the original on the first two parts though. They were very good - I can understand your wanting to polish them up, but I wouldn't make any major changes.
Just my humble opinion.
Dallas
D. Eden
“Hier stehe ich; ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir.”
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
Opportunity
A rewrite is a big opportunity. You weren't sure where the story was going when you first wrote it, and you weren't positive as to who exactly the characters were when you started.
But now you know.
The idea of setting aside your first draft and starting over might seem like a waste of time. After all, you could probably write a completely new story with the same effort. But, another draft of the same story might have a life, depth and consistency far beyond what was in the previous one. Plus, you'll have help writing that draft. The characters will speak to you as you go.
And no, I don't speak from experience. Just stuff I've read about writing. Personally, I'm a crappy writer and rarely even see a first draft through to completion.