A Different Approach to Rewriting and Editing

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editing, novels, rewriting, writing

My current work-in-progress is a little complicated: I’m finishing the half-written sequel to a novel published several years ago. I soon realised my first job was to reread the original book to refamiliarize myself with characters and plot. It had been published in paperback, so I could approach it like any other reader.

So I settled down and began rereading. If you’re a writer you can probably guess what happened next. Yes, I found a typo on the second page. I made a note of it, and read on. Then I found a second minor typo. Another note made. And then I found something that really required rewriting. At this point I dithered. My reading flow was being interrupted by things that needed fixing. So I made a big effort to ignore them and finish the book – although I couldn’t help noticing as I went that there were a few other inconsistencies that had escaped the editor (and me) when the book was first published. I might as well re-edit this book before moving on to the sequel, I thought. The rights had reverted to me a while ago, and if I re-edit now, I could look at publishing it along with the sequel later on.

The usual process of re-editing is to return to the original manuscript and tinker with the writing until it all makes good sense. A very tiresome process, I always think. But then I had another idea. Why not literally rewrite the book? Start again with a blank file and retype the whole thing, making adjustments as necessary? This would obviously be a long job – but as a trained typist my keyboard skills are pretty good, and with a paperback copy to work from there would be no cumbersome printing out of the original to do. I really enjoy typing, and the idea appealed to me.

So that’s what I did, and what a good idea it turned out to be. Typing out from scratch obliged me to read slowly, to look at the words as they appeared on the screen, to stop and think between chapters, and I found many more inconsistencies of character and plot as I went along than my rapid reading-through had revealed. I fixed them one at a time, rewriting completely here and there, taking my time. And do you know what? I enjoyed every minute of it. The book emerged tighter, less wordy and more logical, and I got to know my characters thoroughly all over again. I learned a great deal about my writing foibles, too!

Now I appreciate this approach isn’t for everyone. We don’t all have the time to go the long way round like this. But for me it’s been a revelation. The business of editing and correcting, which I usually find so painful, has been transformed into an enjoyable, gentle, natural process as I became re-immersed in the story at slower than walking pace – actually quite relaxing. Obviously, I may have added in a few typos along the way, but I’ll reread and check before the book goes anywhere. I’d have to do that anyway.

For me, this long-way-round was time well invested, and the best possible preparation for tackling the completion of the sequel. It’s certainly an editing method I will consider in future. If anyone else has tried this approach, I’d be interested to hear what you think of it.

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Three writing projects at once? Of course!

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editing, research, work-in-progress, writing, writing projects

New writers might be surprised (or horrified) to learn that those of us who write novels, frequently have three projects in hand at any given moment. This is logical if you think about it: project one is editing and generally smartening up an almost-completed book; project two is writing the work-in-progress; project three is all in your head – thinking about, and maybe researching the next book.

It sounds mad, and a recipe for confusion, but in practice it provides your brain cells with a welcome change of scene. Nipping back to do a bit of editing and tidying – essentially the craft element of writing – can be a welcome relief from the full-on mental battering of actually getting the story of your work-in-progress written. And similarly, a little detour into dreamland to wander round all the possibilities of structure and plot and character for a book that is still just a general idea can let your imagination off the leash in a very pleasing, and even relaxing way. Of course, there are times when you need to concentrate on one or the other exclusively, but that mental change of pace is still available to you if begin to flag.

So, you ask, have you actually got three projects on the go, then, Kath? Yes, I have. My nearly-there, mostly finished item is Dropwort Hall the third in a series of illustrated stories. A bit more artwork and a thorough edit and it’s done. Producing books with artwork is a useful mental change of pace in itself; if the plot defeats you, you can go and draw a picture instead. It doesn’t really matter what order you do it in. And the work-in-progress? Well, this is quite a tough one as it’s a novel I began about three years ago and never completed. This calls for a lot of gathering-up and reminding myself of characters and situations I’d half forgotten. It’s a sequel, too, so I have to remind myself of what happened in the previous book. For the time being I’m writing character sketches and re-familiarising myself with the timelines in preparation for some serious writing through the autumn and winter. And the book-to-come? My daughter suggested another illustrated story based on trees – so I’ve been reading, or re-reading – some of the wonderful books by that most plant-sensitive of authors Richard Mabey to put me in the mood. And staring at trees quite a lot, too.

So there you have it, past, present and future writing projects. I tend to think of them like London buses – when one is finally finished, another will be along shortly. This degree of orderliness helps to concentrate the mind, and also alleviates the huge gap it leaves in your life when a book is absolutely, finally completed. There’s always another project ready and waiting to fill the gap. Now then, which project shall I work on today…

Doom, Gloom and Zoom: Positive Thinking for Writers in the Covid Age

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covid age, Internet, positive thinking, writing, writing groups, zoom

I hosted the first Zoom meeting for members of local writing groups last week, and I have to say it was a resounding success, once we all managed to stop trying to talk at once. Anyone would think we’d been shut in for months without another writer to talk to. It was a joy to see familiar faces, hear familiar voices, and we soon got stuck into discussing the lack of writing stimulation during the doom and gloom of lockdown.

We had all written something during this quiet and reflective time, if only in answer to our weekly writing prompts. But we all needed more. Zoom allowed us to exchange a bit of banter (vital stuff for the isolated writer), and we moved on to the subject of book titles. Two of us are writing novels in need of titles. It’s a difficult matter to tackle on your own, and maybe the hive mind of the group will come up with some useful ideas. We all came away from a packed forty minutes feeling more positive, back in the group and firing on all cylinders. At least I did!

We also considered that most tricky of current subjects, the future. The possibilities for in-person meetings are likely to be limited and unpredictable. We’ll have to play that part by ear and just see what happens. We can bewail those difficulties, or we can think positive and look elsewhere for solutions.

The internet, as we proved by holding that conversation on Zoom, has far fewer limits – and many more opportunities for a more predictable future. We mulled over the possibilities of the online world: regular Zoom chit-chats, but also perhaps more targeted meetings – say, for those needing support while writing novels; readings of our work; little seminars from those with specialised knowledge. We wondered about holding little online bookfairs where we could promote each other’s books – miniature multi-media extravaganzas. And all without leaving the house!

Writers use the internet anyway – we use it to research, to create, to sell. Much of it is familiar territory, even if don’t always much like it. But at present, it’s a boon, keeping us together when life is forcing us further apart. Most of us have improved our IT skills, too, in recent months, and perhaps this will give some of us the confidence to look further and do more – and others the confidence to follow where these pioneers lead. Together, as a writers’ collective, we can achieve things that would be a struggle alone. That sounds a bit grandiose, but it’s nonetheless true. The limits are set only by our capacity for imagination. And dash it all, folks, we’re writers – imagination is our stock-in-trade. Let’s explore the options Out There while staying safely In Here.

We have opportunities online that previous generations of writers could only dream of. A little positive thinking can take us a long way towards making the most of it. So let’s look the future in the eye, whatever it holds, and see what we can do to make it a productive and positive time for the writing community.

Writing Groups in the Covid Age

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Covid, writing, writing groups, writing prompts, zoom

Being of a generally optimistic nature, I had hoped our writing groups, based in local libraries, might have been able to meet again in September (here in the UK, at least). However, word is that community groups are unlikely to be allowed back in before next year.

Now, I really value my writing groups – they are a source of wonderful support, helpful advice and all sorts of useful new ideas. There’s nothing to beat a group of like-minded people for a lonely writer in need of inspiration. Writing, as they say, is enough of a solitary occupation without having to do it entirely on your own.

So if our groups can’t meet in the libraries for the foreseeable future – what next? We could, of course, look into finding alternative accommodation, and I am looking into this, though it is fraught with complications when a group consists of anything up to ten people, all from different households. Trying to keep it free of charge, as these groups always have been, adds an extra dimension of difficulty. As I say, I’m looking into it.

In the meantime, I’m keeping our email group going: one writing prompt every Monday, send in your writing and/or comment on other people’s. It’s a bit of a clumsy system, but it works reasonably well, and there has been some magnificent writing passed around, along with supportive and helpful comments. It has the added advantage that you don’t need to be a tech-expert to send an email (I can sort out most things!) and those who don’t want to directly participate can still read the writing and comments if they wish.

And then, of course, there is Zoom. This is great because you can see and hear each other, but it does exclude those who either lack the necessary equipment, or the skills, to participate. Still, I do think this may be the way forward in these uncertain times, and of course the ‘reach’ is potentially much greater; anyone can participate regardless of where they are. I have already noticed, in other contexts, that those who ‘embrace the tech’ stay in the loop, and those who don’t tend to be left behind. I don’t want to exclude anyone or leave anyone behind, which is why the email group will be staying regardless, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow and use whatever is available.

So the writing group of the future will need to be able to think on its feet; meet when and if it can, but make use of the techy stuff, too. In such uncertain and unpredictable times the one thing we can be sure of is the need to be adaptable.