Article - How NOT to get a 3-star or Lower Review

[paulinecreeden]

I wrote a new article on my blog today!

fatfreefaith.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-avoid-3-star-or-lower-reviews.html

[Kessie]

Oooh, all very good advice! I like the metaphor about the lump of coal.

Well, back to draft six ...

[paulinecreeden]

draft 6 - LOL!

[Kessie]

I wish I were kidding. :-)

[yoda47]

Hey, I'm on draft 6 too!

Don't feel bad though. I'm signed up for the newsletter of a pro author (David Farland - he's written several Star Wars books, among other things) and he mentioned doing 9 drafts for a novel recently.

[Kessie]

Nine drafts???

Wow, imagine how much his first draft sucked. :-D

I got halfway through this current draft when I realized that I needed to shift POV characters. Although now that I think about it, all I need to do is rewrite a few key scenes ... My problem I keep having is that I'm only able to write with about 1/4th of my brain. The rest is going to other processes like taking care of small children and meal planning.

[paulinecreeden]

I didn't think you were kidding Kessie - I'm on draft 4 and doubt it's my last!

And in my first draft I tend to shift between 1st and 3rd person frequently - had to go back and change it all... sometimes one or two slip thru the cracks and a beta reader catches them!

[beckyminor]

Oooh. Love David Farland's Daily Kicks. The class I took with him last year mentioned the nine drafts, and to be fair, each pass was looking for separate aspects to change. One to just spit the story out. One to broaden/deepen conflict, one to add description or otherwise add stuff that was too spare, one to cut stuff that is redundant or unneeded, a pass or two for theme and metaphor, and one of what he calls a "syllabic edit" where he fine-tooths for extra weasel words and checks for cadence. That doesn't get me us to nine, but take heart that the nine drafts were likely not complete rewrites every time.

But I digress...back to the normally scheduled topic.

[isabeau]

Jan 13, 2012 23:11:35 GMT -5 beckyminor said:

each pass was looking for separate aspects to change. One to just spit the story out.

I do this, and find it the easiest way to edit. I make a list of every issue I want to examine, and take them one at a time through the entire ms.

[Kessie]

Oohhh! That makes sense! Is there somewhere online that explains those passes in detail?

This draft is more or less a complete rewrite, and it definitely needs the fine polish if I don't want to rewrite it again. I feel like I'm doing the harsh grit in the rock tumbler, and I don't know how to put in the finer and finer grit to achieve a high polish.

[yoda47]

you could subscribe to his daily kick email...

and he's working on a book on storytelling.

[j2starshine]

I read your post, but I couldn't comment. bummer. but I really liked it and will have to refer back to it. Also loved the analogy of the coal turning into a diamond thingy as well.

on the whole drafts and rewrites, I have lost count. I am ready to move on, send it out, face the rejections, and shelve my current WIP as soon as I finish this last edit.

[paulinecreeden]

awesome, thanks j2starshine!

[isabeau]

www.cnn.com/2012/01/20/living/jennifer-egan-creativity-failure/index.html

[Kessie]

50 or 60 drafts??

I feel like a small, humble noob now. Back to work!

Has Egan given up on projects? Of course. She said there were four chapters of "Goon Squad" she tried to write but just couldn't make work. She wasn't into that part of the story, so why would her readers want to join her there?

"That's different than being afraid of the material, or veering away from it but with a kind of excitement," she says. "It's just literally you'd rather do anything else." The feeling for her, she adds, is like "the kiss of death."

I feel like this just gave me the permission I needed to cut a part from my story that's not working. :-)