Do you edit or rewrite anything before you're finished with your first draft? I've never really thought about it before, generally I like to edit after a couple of days, but is it better to leave everything until you've finished your first draft?
Do you edit or rewrite anything before you're finished with your first draft? I've never really thought about it before, generally I like to edit after a couple of days, but is it better to leave everything until you've finished your first draft?
I always edit what I have written the day before, even though it may not survive the final cut.
As my novel evolved I was inspired with new and better ideas. I knew that at as I progressed I would have to go back and address earlier passages of text.
I believe the changes I made enhanced my novel. I left thorough edits until after I had completed my first draft. I have cut 50,000 words in the long, exhausting, unenjoyable editing process. My word count has been reduced to 90,000. But editing was not just about cutting superfluous text. There was re-writing and many changes in dialogue.
I would edit what you can as your novel evolves. It will save you time after the first draft is finished.
I find it difficult not to do minor edits as I write. When I come back to something after a short break, I find I need to re-read to get me in the flow of the story so I can take up the reins again. As I'm re-reading I'll often spot things that jar and I have to tinker with them.
Sometimes as I'm writing, I discover that there's a problem with the storyline or a character - there might be some logical inconsistency or implausibility. That can either send me off to do a major edit of the storyline or it might leave me entirely grounded and unable to write. I think that's why people sometimes say just to ignore these problems and keep writing your story - bash out a first draft, even if it has problems. Get the material out, figure out the story as you go, and the picture will be clearer to you at the end. I don't know if that's wise, because I've never got to that point. I find I simply can't continue writing once I feel there's a fundamental problem with the structure.
Writers all work in different ways, don't they? You just have to figure out what works for you I guess.
I think you must have taken down the piece you had up about the Roman soldier? Have you taken it away to edit? I had just finished writing a response to it and I pressed the button to post and the whole thing vanished. Agghhh!
@ Clara, it was very helpful, thank you!
@ Andrew, how can you resist tinkering with your work? When you do leave it until the end, does everything still fall together? Do you use a plan then when writing?