The First Rewrite
By Brunonia Barry | August 11, 2011 |
Last week, I finished the first draft of a novel that is due next April. This week, I began my first rewrite, a process I enjoy far more.
I know that for many of you, rewriting is less exciting than writing that first draft. For you, there is nothing more thrilling than creating something from nothing. I don’t feel that way. I adore rewriting. It is not accompanied by the anxiety and uncertainty of the blank page. The basic story is already down on paper. The characters have grown and changed. Until the first draft is finished, there’s a huge element of blind faith involved in the process, something I have come to trust, but just barely.
Of course, having something down on paper does not mean that it’s good. Usually there are some huge mistakes. The characters behave inconsistently or don’t change enough. The pacing is wrong. The first rewrite is where I catch those mistakes. Because the story remains fairly skeletal at this point, errors are much easier to spot. I don’t flesh out the characters too much in my first draft, because I don’t want to risk falling in love with them and being unable to make necessary changes.
While I usually share many pages with trusted readers by the time I finish the first draft, this time I have chosen not to ask for opinions. No one (and by that I mean not even my husband) has read anything beyond the first chapter. This is a story I’m holding close. There’s no way I’m showing it to anyone until I’m certain that I’ve done my best with it, that it includes all of the elements I’ve intended. At this point, suggestions from anyone else would just confuse me. Eventually, I will give the manuscript to my husband, assistant, agent, and writing group as well as a few other trusted readers from my favorite book clubs. That will be the time for notes and suggestions, but first I have to get it right for me.
I’m not certain why the rewriting process for this novel is so different from my other two. It might have something to do with the world of the story, which includes elements of mythology. It may be that it’s more personal than the other books I’ve written, not in the sense that it is based on my experience but because I am creating portions of the story’s mythological world myself. As a result, there are many elements of that world that I’m still exploring.
The process of this first revision is as much about rereading as rewriting. I’ve already been though the manuscript four times, adding details to enhance the description, taking away early embellishments that once inspired me but no longer serve the story.
As I read and reread, I ask certain questions of my characters. Most deal with consistency. Do the characters’ actions fit their backstories? Does what they want remain consistent, or does it change? Do their actions happen in the correct order?
I’ve often seen my characters take an extreme step early in a story in an effort to get what they want. This is a mistake, one that often brings the story to a halt. I find this kind of error fairly easy to spot in the first rewrite and almost impossible later. For that purpose, I go back to the beats of the story, not what I intended in my outline but what actually ended up on the page, which is often very different.
If I’ve done my job well, my characters will begin to talk to me, even if I’m not always crazy about what they’re saying. If I can’t make a character do what I intended, there’s always a good reason.
For example, in my last book. The Map of True Places, I was writing about a protagonist who couldn’t make decisions because, in the past, her decisions had tragic consequences. She had come to a point in her life where she couldn’t even order an ice cream cone, because she had no idea what flavor she preferred. Her character changed significantly over the course of the narrative, but, in the first draft, I was trying to make her change too radically. While I wanted to place the story’s dramatic climax more squarely in her hands, it didn’t fit the character and would have only served the plot, something I refused to do. Her character arc needed to be far more subtle. I had to rewrite my ending. Fortunately, this was something I was able to discover in the first rewrite.
The other element that shows its flaws in this first rewrite is pacing. I seem to be fine with the major beats of the story, but within chapters, I find I always have trouble. It’s akin to a character ordering dinner in a restaurant before she looks at the menu. These are small details, but if they aren’t fixed, they will reveal something unintended. A character who orders first and then peruses the menu is interesting, but if it isn’t what you intended, it will give the wrong impression to the reader.
This first rewrite is a place where mistakes can be corrected. It is also where the story begins to be fleshed out, where details of description emerge. This is what I love about rewriting. I get to know my characters best during this process. Every time I reread the manuscript, I learn more about them, and I am able to add more details.
For me, the rewriting process has become more creative and much more fun than the first draft. Even so, rereading is such a huge part of the process that I sometimes find myself lost in my own words. When that happens, I have to walk away and find something else to do for a while, something that inspires a different kind of creativity. I don’t consider this slacking. I consider it part of the rewriting process, a creativity renewal.
Toward that end, I travelled to the MFA in Boston a few days ago to see Dale Chihuly’s “Through the Looking Glass” exhibit. For a few hours, I was immersed in a vibrant and fanciful world created by one of the most innovative glass artists in the world. The colors and forms and freedom of expression were just what I needed to renew my artistic spirit. I’ve included a photograph.
I’d love to hear about your rewriting process. Do you enjoy it? What tips can you share?
Brunonia Barry is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Lace Reader, The Map of True Places, and The Fifth Petal, chosen #1 of Strand Magazine’s Top 25 Books of 2017. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages and has been an Amazon Best of the Month and a People Magazine Pick. Barry was the first American author to win the International Women’s Fiction Festival’s Baccante Award and was a past recipient of Ragdale Artists’ Colony’s Strnad Invitational Fellowship as well as the winner of New England Book Festival’s award for Best Fiction. Her reviews and articles on writing have appeared in The London Times, The Washington Post, and The Huffington Post. Brunonia served as chairperson of the Salem Athenaeum’s Writers’ Committee, as Executive Director of the Salem Literary Festival, and as a member of Grub Street’s Development Committee. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband, Gary Ward, and their dog, Angel.
I write very, very messy first drafts that are all over the place. So my favorite part is the re-writing. To me, there is more discovery in the re-write than in the first draft.
I agree, BK, I think there is much more creativity in the rewrite.
Skelatal first draft. I relate. I put down the story arc, the events, the dialog but go back later to put the in the color and meat of descriptions and inner conversation. I find it somewhat like building up a clay sculpture on an armature. As it proceeds, the curves and form emerge and end with the final surface texture, intentionally smooth or rough.
Alex, I love the comparison to a clay sculpture. You’re so right.
Like you, I do find the revision process a lot less daunting than the first draft. It’s the idea and task of molding clay, rather than creating it, you know? That’s actually what I’m in the middle of right now, so best of luck to both of us!
Good luck with your rewrite, Kristin.
I think many (including Kristan Hoffman :)) do find the revision process easier because of reasons you describe in your post. What I enjoy most is simply reading the story I put together. Sometimes while writing the first draft you forget the inspiration behind your story or you forget the effort you put into the crafting of it. A rewrite allows you to see the forest from the trees – and enjoy the view!
That’s a good point, Alex. I love to see the inspiration and the progression. That’s why so much of my rewrite is a reread.
Wow, I am the opposite of you Brunonia, and everyone who’s commented before me. I am totally daunted by the rewrite process, almost to the point of freezing up. I find it very overwhelming. My head is spinning. I will definitely be looking for some help from beta readers for this last one.
I am, however, inspired by your breakdown of the process. A perfectly timed post for me. Thanks! And good luck to you, and everyone else involved in the process.
Good luck with the rewrite, Vaughn. The first thing I do is write down all the beats, and reference the corresponding pages. This seems to help when I get lost, because I always do. I don’t know if that would help you, but it works for me.
I love the rewriting process. I love finding out new things about my characters and discovering that I didn’t know as much about them as I thought I did. Thanks, for the great post!
That’s my favorite part, Heather. They really reveal themselves in the rewrite, I think.
You are……WAITING and revising before asking for feedback?
Some authors send me not just first drafts but partial first drafts, outlines, notes, 2am jots…someday I’m going to get a soggy cocktail napkin with scribbles on it. They ask, what do you think? Anything here? Send me your thoughts! (In other words, tell me what to do.)
It’s anxiety. It causes authors to surrender command of their work in favor of pleasing the gatekeepers and contract givers. The result is weak, hasty, immitative…essentially unfinished work.
You on the other hand have given yourself until next April to revise? Maybe that’s why you’re Brunonia Barry. Thanks for posting about this moment. I love your commitment.
Thank you, Donald. I’m learning as I go.
This post is great confirmation. I’m in the midst of a major rewrite and I felt a little frozen, like maybe I shouldn’t have to do such major revision, but you’ve made it clear it’s part of the writing process, no matter how much writing experience you have. Thanks so much.
June, I understand the feeling of being frozen. When I rewrote The Lace Reader, I tore it apart, then couldn’t figure out how to reconstruct it. I cried a lot. I was sure it would never fit back together. I worked on it for almost a year with that kind of anxiety, and then, one day, everything just worked. It literally happened in a day. So hang in there!
Posts like this, and conversations like these in comments, are why I love WU. It’s so affirming to know we’re not all crazy, that we all have this process in common — and we can get through it.
Thanks for a great post.
Thanks, Therese. I agree. It’s such a great place to check in, especially when you work alone.
I love revising. Once I am done with the first draft, I let it simmer for awhile. During that time, I am rereading my writing craft books, taking notes on things I will want to reinforce and change in the manuscript. It lets me review some tips that I may have forgotten or dismissed during the throes of writing.
Jason, I’m regretting not having more time allotted to let it simmer. Well put.
I hate rewriting. :) It’s necessary, and in the case of my current WIP needed, but it’s like being lost in a city I don’t know… I’m sitting at a strange intersection, wondering where I went wrong.
I know it’ll take some time sitting there with the GPS, as it were. But it’s the sitting and mentally massaging a solution that makes me grind my teeth.
Being lost is exactly how I feel, Cathy. But the rereading part seems to give me guideposts of a sort. If I keep doing it, I find my way. Good luck with your WIP rewrite.
not a love story for me. i do my best, but its such a long process and second guessing myself isnt my favorite thing. what was i thinking here? and i love that back story but it has to go…its more of a horror flick. but i’ll keep plugging away. i’m too bull-headed to quit!
thanks for your take and encouragement =)
Tara: Sometimes I don’t realize what I’m writing until I reread my first draft. Themes I wasn’t aware of emerge. Characters aren’t who they seemed. It is confusing, but I still like it better than the blank page anxiety when I keep asking myself if I have a story.
Yes! I love rewriting, for all the reasons you mention. I find things in my draft, inserted strategically by my subconscious, and build on them as themes and memes and such. It’s joyful work.
Whereas, per Donald’s comment, I don’t think I could ever be an agent!
My subconscious also reveals itself in this draft, Petrea. It always surprises me. Well put.
Ms. Barry… how long did it take to write your first draft, as compared to the 8 mos that you have to rewrite? And do you find that the story changes drastically or just a little?
My first draft came to a screeching halt at the 3/4 mark. I read in a writer’s blog that this can happen if the foundation isn’t solid, so I spent 6 months rewriting ch. 1-7 (the first fourth of the book). Oi, rewriting is tough, and I’m paying $3 a page for an outside professional’s advice, which I hope helps me :-)
Kari, my first draft took 11 months, but a few of those months were research. When my stories come to a halt, it’s almost always because I have either chosen to have the protagonist do something she would never do, or she has done it too soon. I don’t know if that helps or if it’s just me, but it might be worth taking a look. If the character acts too early, it ends the story. Hang in there!
Getting lost in my own words… that is exactly the big issue I’m facing currently. Nicely put.
Thank you, Mary.
This is a refreshing post. I fear rewriting. I love the naked page and “discovering” story. Now I am realizing how important those tent poles for the story structure are because the end of my second act is saggy and slow. It’s awesome to hear that so many are finding creativity in the rewrites. I worry that once it’s on the page, the latitude for creativity seriously decreases. From all of the comments here, that is apparently not the case.
Thanks for the inspiration. Time to shore up my structure!
Sara: I like it when things narrow a bit. The empty page is what frightens me.
I’d like to use the use term ‘reread’ rather than ‘rewrite’ as I used to reread my works more than twice. At every reread there’ll be more additions or eliminations to the original script which leads to an ultimate rewrite.
I think you also meant it by saying “….Every time I reread the manuscript, I learn more about them, and I am able to add more details.”
Thanks for sharing your productive and encouraging ideas.
Mudboard: I think I’m going to call it a reread, too. I do much more reading at this point than writing. Thanks for putting a name to the process.
So many useful tips and interesting self-observations here, Brunonia, and commentors both. I thought I was the only one who liked rewriting best. Like getting to “do over” when playing pretend.
The funnest part is rereading and finding some foolish tangent and wondering what idiot write that. Then I recall how clever I’d thought I was when I thought it up. It’s taught me to distrust those clever impulses. On the other hand-maybe better to leave them in first drafts rather than editing myself too early.
Skipper: I put absolutely everything in the first draft. I think it’s a good idea. You can always subtract, but sometimes those things lead in a new and good direction.
Like you, I love the rewrite stage more than the first draft–although my outlines are so detailed they tend to be mini-first drafts, my first draft is more like the first-and-a-half or second, and my rewrite is more like my third. Once I’ve got the story told, I can pinpoint the problems more easily, but it’s also easier to figure out where to go next. If there’s something wrong with one section, I just have to figure out a new way to get from point A to C, assuming there is one that makes sense. I know where the story is supposed to go, so there’s no blind fumbling. Of course, I’m operating under the assumption that I’ve worked out the major structural issues in the outline and first draft. If not, the rewriting process gets a lot more intense.
My outlines are pretty detailed as well, Kristin. I like to do four drafts, though.
Thanks for sharing. Your post is very helpful. I love how you describe walking away from the manuscript as a ‘creativity renewal’. I pick up my camera and head outside to clear the words or just grab the needlepoint work.
I’m not very good at taking photographs, Joelle. That’s a perfect thing to do, though. I just have to get our of my own head for a while.
I mean “out.” Now might be a good time for me to take a break.
Creativity renewal- well said!
Sometimes I feel as if I’ve read the book so many times, I can’t remember what’s in and what’s out in the current draft. This users to not bother me too much, but now that I have a kid and all writing time is more precious than in the past,I find it harder to walk away from the manuscript even if I really should stop and recharge elsewhere.
Mari: I think confusion is a big part of the process. During my first book, I was working full time, and every Saturday I’d try to pick up where I left off. It took half of my writing session to figure out where I was supposed to start.
I can relate to that reluctance to walk away when writing time is precious. During the school year, I squeeze my writing in 30 minute increments in the morning before I go to teach. As summer is winding down, I am finding myself cranky about things that take away from writing time, but I also have to stop after a certain amount of time as my writer’s brain gets worn out and needs a break.
Like you, I prefer rewriting to drafting. I’m in first draft mode with a new WIP at the moment and although I’m enjoying it, I also can’t wait to get it over with! I guess I feel like, as long as I have something to work from, I can always make the book better. But the fact that I don’t have the foundation down just yet makes it feel like I’m walking down a path blindfolded, not sure if the path ends or keeps going.
I, too, LOVE the rewriting process. That’s where I really dig deep into my characters’ motivations and conflicts, and iron out the plot. I’m in the middle of it right now and loving it.
Melissa: For me, this is where their motivations really become clear. if not, it’s easy to spot my mistake.
I feel a little overwhelmed by the rewrite process sometimes. It’s so easy for me, as I’m doing a first draft, to make note of things here and there to go back and change in earlier scenes as I keep pushing forward to finish. That’s a good thing as far as finishing that draft goes, but after it’s finished, looking back through the book and all my notes…all those characters who need fleshing out those plot holes that need filling…it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed. Kind of like when one of my kids had totally trashed his room–that look on his face when I told him to clean it up. Where to begin?
Ha!
I really like Donald Maas’s comment–I can completely see that it would be common for authors to try to give up control of the book as they struggle to re-write…or at least to show the book to someone seeking reassurance that they’re on the right track. I think everyone’s first instinct when they feel overwhelmed is to look around for help, and I think for many writers re-writing can seem daunting.
Shrinking violets https://shrinkingvioletpromotions.blogspot.com/
has had a good series of posts recently about steps of revision. I’ve found them helpful as I try to organize my attack…
I second what you’ve said about the Shrinking Violets posts, Melissa. They’re excellent.
melissa: Thanks for the tip about Shrinking Violets. Very useful information.
Fascinating post because I am currently on my first rewrite of my second novel. I too sort out the technical side of the story first so that everything works as it should. After this rewrite I will have my story correct.
Then it’s down to making it flow better and trying to get it well written. I thoroughly recommend reading your novel out loud for this latter stage of rewriting. Your eye will deceive you in a way the voice can’t. Only when you read it out loud will you hear how your words flow and fit together (or not). Only then will you hear rhyme and rythm etc. and possibilities to make the words sound and fit better together.
Go on read your work out loud – you might get a surprise.
Christopher: You are so right! I read everything aloud. It’s also a good idea because, at some point you will be asked to read your work aloud. When The Lace Reader came out, I hadn’t done that after revising the first chapter, and there were some tongue twisters on the first page as well as some repetition. This is the best and maybe the only way to catch it.
On the whole, I do enjoy it.
I love seeing my words interrupted by others — i.e. beta readers and editors. This is a time for great growth for me as a writer.
Currently, I receiving feedback from beta readers regarding my YA adventure. They’ve pointed out the good and the bad. Hearing the bad is difficult — I mean, I thought it was perfect. In times, like these it’s helpful to swallow my pride and just listen. Deattached, I can judge if action is required and what kind.
So, yes, I do enjoy the rewriting process.
Leanne: I like hearing the criticism. It’s very helpful. I’m not satisfied that I’m ready yet because there are still so many changes I want to make. But later it will become invaluable. When I hear more than one person say they had the same issues with the book, then I really pay attention.
Perfect timing, BK! I finished my MS last night — not really the “first” draft because I’ve gone back and revised while moving forward on it (not recommendable, by the way), but still it’s a first. Last night I typed “The End” and went *whew*! Now I can start on the rewrite, and it’s exactly like you said: I know what the story is about, I know its basic shape and color, and now I need to give it depth. I agree — rewriting is easier in some sense, but it’s also harder because THAT’S what will make the difference between great and sublime. Thank you for sharing this!
Hey, B – That was very surprising that you enjoy the rewrite more – I find the initial writing kind of my free side- the wild child who pulls things out of the air and then then rewritier – or editor I return to my librarian format of quiet reflection- i often read my stuff aloud to a friend or husband so i can hear how it sounds. it has to plow and that’s how I get any pacing I might have. It has to flow loke music and fit togehter like a puzzle. For what it is worth.
Gullie: Good luck with your rewrite. Don’t you love typing “The End.” I hope you celebrated that moment.
I tend to write much like I comb tangles in my hair. I lightly pick a little bit at the ends (skeletal framework) then dig a little deeper, (first sketch), then move higher and higher until I’m able to comb from root to tip. (first draft.) Then I can dry, style, and finally spray my hair. (rewrites and edits.)
Probably the silliest analogy ever, but it’s 3:37 am, I’m tired, and I’m currently combing through one tangle of a plot. hahaha… silliest pun ever!
I am rewriting a novel right now, and have shown my rewrites to my 15 year old daughter. Her suggestions are great, but I am feeling a bit confused now. I feel like backing up and just writing it how I want as a whole, and then letting someone else read it.
But it’s so tempting to see what a reader thinks!
Love this overview. I’m now quite sure my first draft isn’t complete enough to move on to an editing process.
As for how I do it, like JK Rowlings (tho I didn’t know this was her process when I began it), I use a spreadsheet. In it, I put every detail, note every area to follow-up or resolve issues. Then I convert it to text and start the draft. I had a writing coach absolutely disgusted with the rigidity of it, but it works for me and JK.
I also find the process of revising easier than writing the original draft. Those blank pages scare me! I have to work on having the blind faith you describe.
We saw the Chihuly exhibit as well — a wonderland. It definitely was a creative energy infusion.
Great post, Brunonia! I look forward to having something to rewrite…God, do I.
– James Mayor