The Sometimes Necessity of Re-Writes

It's a word that every author dreads. Re-write. As if the process of writing a novel wasn't grueling enough, the idea that you have to do the whole thing over again with the same content can be crippling.

But unfortunately, re-writes can be necessary. The book I'm working on right now is a rewrite. Part of that has to do with the fact that I first got the characters and basic plot when I was 17. And what started out as the beginning of the novel is now within a few pages of the end. The original plot for the novel now encompasses three separate plot lines that will take up three different novels. Thus, a rewrite was the only way to go.

Sometimes we have to rewrite because we learn essential plot elements halfway through writing the book. And sometimes we're just much better writers by the end of the process. So much better than when we began that the first 50 pages seem like they were written by a child. And since those are your first impression on any reader, you want them to shine.

Now, this isn't to say you have to re-write every single word on every single page. Chances are you'll come across a scene or a chapter that is inspired. As long as it still makes sense in the context of the new material, keep it. Keep whatever you can, but don't be afraid to fix the broken bits.

Until a few months ago, I was petrified of cutting out a scene and rewriting it because my editor had told me the book was really good. Since I'd written the first draft two years previous, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to recapture the magical state I'd been in when I'd written this "amazing" manuscript, that I was somehow deficient now that I wasn't the inspirational throes of creation.

Then I came back to reality and got back to work. And the new scenes work better than the old ones. The characters are more clearly defined since I've spent so much more time with them. On the whole, the novel isn't that much different. But the new pieces bolster the older ones, and it's a better book for it. Better yet, it also reminded me why I had so much fun writing the book to begin with.

Yes, re-writes can be painful, they can be dull, but they can also remind you why you loved your world, your characters, your story to begin with. And in the middle of a grueling editing process, that can be invaluable.

Music can be a good way to bring your mind back to the time you were writing your first draft. I'm including this video because I listened to this song a lot when I was writing my first draft. When I went back to add in scenes, I played the song again to remind myself of that time, that feeling of creating the novel the first time.

Sarah McLachlan: Fallen



 
Topics: All I Need to Know , Sarah McLachlan , Fallen