Re-writes, Heaven or Hell?
Re-writes and edits are an essential part of putting together a new story, but we authors don’t all do things the same when it comes to this part of the process. In fact, compared to some, I might seem a little slip-shod in my approach. But I do things the way I do because that’s what works best for me.
Some do dozens of re-writes, even before handing their work over to their editor.
Some don’t do any re-writes, or so they claim. (Must admit, I find that hard to believe without also accepting there will be a corresponding short-fall in the quality of their finished product).
Most, it seems, are somewhere in between these two extremes, doing what they feel is necessary in order to get a quality product without spending their entire lives writing just the one book.
I am predominantly an intuitive writer, by which I mean I make things up as I go along. On many occasions I’ve set off to write an entire novel after just a single line or two has popped into my head, just like that, from out of the ether. However, these days I do often sketch out a very rough outline for a story in order to help reduce the chances of making a major mistake, like Sue murdered Henry in the library, when Henry was actually three thousand miles away and Sue never went anywhere near the library. But after that I make things up as I go along.
This does have implications for my approach to re-writes since I absolutely must read through the first completed draft carefully to find out where things don’t hang together. Inconsistent eye colours, addresses, or names etc. All these need spotting and correcting.
The first re-write also sharpens up the writing more generally. In fact, it’s surprising how much better it makes it. Normally, while I’m doing the first draft I’m very happy with it; what could possibly need improving?
Sometimes I then leave a story on the shelf for a while. I’ve learned over the years that parking a story, then going off and doing something else means that when you next pick up that story it is almost new to you. You approach it with completely new eyes and see things in need of improvement that you simply didn’t notice before.
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Then the editor gets her hands on it. Uh oh! Her favourite activity is to go chop, chop, chop! It’s scary stuff and not for the faint-hearted. We don’t always agree, me and the editor, and I will over-rule her sometimes, taking full responsibility for any resulting mess-ups, of course.
How much needs reviewing and amending depends. A stand-alone or the first book in a new series will invariably require more than will do a later book in an established series because the latter has many elements that are already well established.
All-in-all it’s a pretty lengthy process, despite the fact I am not keen on doing a lot of re-writes, and, although it’s worth the effort, there’s no denying it can be a bit of a slog at times, especially as I’m always keen to get on with the next new story. All the same, this process of re-writes and edits does produce a better book and I know that if I tried to cut corners here I’d only end up regretting it later.
So, spare a thought for your favourite authors when they’re deep in the weeds of re-writing their own latest book. They might appreciate some friendly encouragement.
All the best,
Ben
The Banbury Cross Murder Mysteries, classic murder-mysteries with a splash of humour and a little romance.
