Five-O Rec and the writing of the rec
Interesting!!! IreneClare, I don't know if she's here at LJ, posted an interesting quartet of fics at AO3 called Between The Lies. She put it in her drabbles collection at parts 8, 9, 10, and 11. It deals with the fallout from Rachel's secret revealed in Season 5's last two eps.
The fics are well worth a rec- they are very good, especially part two, but what's most interesting to me is that parts three and four are basically the same (concluding, unfortunately) chapter. Part three is an early draft before beta. Part four is the same chapter after re-write.
Reading both versions one after the other *really* shows, imo, the reason we use a trusted first reader to give us opinions on our early work. The re-write, part four, gives the reader better emotional throughline, better logic, better characterization, and a polished story at a higher level of writing that shows a thoughtfulness and focus on theme not fully present in part three.
Re-writing is a skill that takes real effort to build and the fact that IreneClare is capable of re-imagining her fic and incorporating her beta's suggestion or ameliorating her misgivings regarding part three proves what a talented writer she is. Posting both the draft (because she's still fond of it) and the final version shows the rest of us what a capable writer can gain from having a trusted first reader who's capable of speaking honestly to us read our early work. First readers can be especially helpful in clarifying the themes we may not even be aware of in our writing and helping us focus our throughlines for maximum impact.
Thanks, IreneClare for a great reminder that re-writing is a technical skill every writer should put to constant use and that first readers are not just a pain in the ass, but another tool and voice we should lean on and be grateful for having :-)