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Friday, December 28, 2007

I Love Revising

My favorite part of writing is revising. Whenever I write my first draft, I'm just in such a hurry to get it down that I don't enjoy it properly. But revising . . . I love revising. I think of it like shaping a rough chunk of sculpture.

When I revise, I add description where it is needed. I hone dialog and prune large chunks of needless passages. I take threads of the plot from deep in the story and weave it back into the beginning. I smooth over those unexpected things, like when my heroine falls for the wrong guy, and make it seem like it was what I planned all along.

During the revision phase, my creativity truly comes out.

Which is your favorite part of writing, drafting or revising?

9 comments:

  1. Drafting, definitely. I absolutely hate revising.

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  2. I used to dislike it as well, but it really grew on me with the last two novels. Revising is when I sit back and enjoy being a writer.

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  3. The part I love the most is building a story: the world, the characters, that first vision of the story. I'm trying to revise/rebuild a story I wrote back in March, though, and it's about to kill me!

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  4. I'm with you, Tia. I read and re-read so often during the drafting phase that I get bored with the work. Revising brings me so much pleasure--I love going back after a few weeks and seeing my work with fresh eyes. It's almost like someone else wrote it!

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  5. I do my worldbuilding constantly, during the first draft and adding stuff while revising. For Starcaster, I left a lot of worldbuilding for the second draft.

    Laura, I'm glad you stopped by!

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  6. I love revising. I'm halfway through the first draft of The Trouble With Demons, and I'm remembering why I don't like first drafts. Once I get the entire story down, then I can start to play with it, adding, deleting, moving, expanding. All the fun stuff about being a writer.

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  7. I don't mind first drafts, but I'm just in such a rush to get done when I am drafting. So much to write, so little time! When it is all down, that's when the true plot-threading can begin!

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  8. Hope your 2008 is filled with words, words, words, and much happiness, Tia!

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