I'm not talking about setting a pace for your actual narrative (though that's of course very important, too). Today I want to talk about one's actual writing pace
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Do you just copy what you had from your rough draft into a new file and edit the words, or do you completely rewrite what you had before? I know that I take what I had and just simply try to make it better, taking out words here or there and putting in new, better words where appropriate. In this past week, I went through and edited the first 13,000 words of my novel. But those 13,000 used to be only around 8,000 out of 51,000. So I still have a long way to go before I'm done as well, but at least it's a start, right?
I actually usually just work in a single file, even when redrafting; it's just "neater" by my own personal organzation standards.
Most of the time, when I write short stories, I make edits to the draft I already wrote, rewording and retooling sections, taking some scenes out, adding new scenes in, etc. If it's a longer piece, I'll save some of the cut scenes in a separate file, just so I know they're not gone forever, even though I know full well I'll never use them for anything.
With Summerhill, the draft I'm writing now is pretty much 98% new material. The reason I'm not just reworking what I already had from my previous draft is simply that, well, I have a different (and better) understanding of the story, now, and what I had before simply doesn't work. And I'm okay with that (even though it means a lot more work in the long run).
I would never have the patience to write out a full draft of anything longhand. The way I write involves so much mid-sentence tweaking that I'd go crazy within ten minutes.
When I have a longer piece, I will print out a copy of the story to go over with my magical red pen to make edits and then go back to implement them on the digital copy. Otherwise, though, I do all my work on a computer.
Yeah, I'm with you, I'm a very, VERY slow writer! I think my new methodology is going to be to at least touch my story every day, even if it's only a line or two that I manage to get down.
Believe me with working full time and taking 3 classes, its going to be a struggle.
But yeah, I'd be really happy if I could get 1000 words down. I don't think I manage to sit down and get 1000 words down very often at all. :P Not in one sitting!
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Most of the time, when I write short stories, I make edits to the draft I already wrote, rewording and retooling sections, taking some scenes out, adding new scenes in, etc. If it's a longer piece, I'll save some of the cut scenes in a separate file, just so I know they're not gone forever, even though I know full well I'll never use them for anything.
With Summerhill, the draft I'm writing now is pretty much 98% new material. The reason I'm not just reworking what I already had from my previous draft is simply that, well, I have a different (and better) understanding of the story, now, and what I had before simply doesn't work. And I'm okay with that (even though it means a lot more work in the long run).
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Do you write your drafts longhand or on the computer? I used to prefer long hand, and hard copy for editing, but I've switched away from that
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When I have a longer piece, I will print out a copy of the story to go over with my magical red pen to make edits and then go back to implement them on the digital copy. Otherwise, though, I do all my work on a computer.
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Believe me with working full time and taking 3 classes, its going to be a struggle.
But yeah, I'd be really happy if I could get 1000 words down. I don't think I manage to sit down and get 1000 words down very often at all. :P Not in one sitting!
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