Just think of a stone. Editors want unique stones. But if you polish all the edges off, it looks just like every other polished rock and there’s no reason for an editor to buy it. And have fun. Writing is a ton of fun.

It makes me feel better about my first novel too. Wrote the thing, then redrafted it twice – because I couldn’t rewrite, it just wouldn’t happen. When I did figure out how to rewrite, the last version just got worse thereafter. Of course it was terrible to begin with – first novel – so it was good to learn what I could and couldn’t do. But, yeah, it’s amazing how easy it is to ruin a story with rewriting.

I don’t know that I agree entirely about rewriting at all though – it seems like maybe if you’ve got an extra scene or something you didn’t need, because you wrote it one just like it earlier in the story or some-such, then excising the scene can be worth doing if it won’t muck up what you’ve written. And I also have found over the years that I can come back and rewrite in a *creative* mode, not a critical one, sometimes in some places – but what comes out in a white hot fury seems to come out so much more interestingly than what I’d gain from a rewrite’s cleaning up consistency issues etc. Anyway, great to hear a multi-multi-volume seller say this. And I have to get back to practicing now.

I too, am a “putter-inner,” typing with full-throttle speed through my first drafts, then coming back to find that a few of the ideas, thoughts, or even scenes that I had intended to write I actually forgot about in my haste. And going back, adding them in, then rereading the draft, you can’t tell the difference–it just makes the story better. So long as you don’t over-edit.

I’m really loving these myth-busting essays, Mr. Smith.

Wasn’t bothered if I was – the way I write works for me, but still, thank you.

Robert

All the best,
Robert

Follow Heinlein’s Rules and you’ll have it solid.

I have a couple other posts about rewriting over the last year. All your questions are answered in detail there and in the comments afterwards. Keep firing.

Cheers
Dean

I would like to try pulling back on the revision, but there is this horrible fear that I will produce crapola.

A couple of things I worry about (especially if you’re running without an outline) is what happens when you come to a part in the story where it demands information you don’t know and need to research? Do you stop the writing process to get the info? Or do you do what Stephen Kind does and “make it up” for first draft, and fix it in second draft? (The way you describe your process, this latter does not sound like what you would do.)

Also, what about any major plot changes you realize you need to make halfway through the writing? Do you stop and make revisions before moving forward? Take care of that in the second draft? Or does this sort of thing not happen to you? Seems to happen to me more often than I’d like.

Despite my questions (and I’ll probably have more come to me at about 3 AM) I would give my first-born to eliminate the “required” revision process. I have too many stories I want to write and this could save me a great deal of time and agony.

Cheers,
Rob