REDRAFTING....

Oh yes...the fun...the joy....the bitterness...the depths of despair...the OMG WHAT HAVE YOU DONE. All of the above happens when you are working on something you have written, worked on, and are now doing a big redraft.


The hard part, well ONE of the hard parts, is of course you begin a novel days ....weeks...months....  years ago. So the voice has changed, the tone has changed...rhythm and nuance have been tweaked.

I have also changed the names of two characters - which leads to OMG WHO IS THIS PERSON when I'm on page 197. I'm sure characters hairstyles have changed (and perhaps colour too)...



I'm also noting down time lines, character arcs...the whole IS THIS CHAPTER NECESSARY? And WHAT DOES THIS CHAPTER ACHIEVE?

All good things to focus on. It's often so difficult to see the big picture, no matter how long you leave a piece of work. In your mind you know what motivates that character, and why this character has an intense dislike of relationships...but does the reader know?

At the moment I have index cards with each chapter outlined, as well as telling me if it's set in the past or present.


I also have so many scribbled notes regarding scenes to add, to work on, questions I have.

It's definitely still a work in progress and you really must love writing to willingly spend so many hours/days/week/months/years on a story that, in all truth, only you may ever see.

And then there is this thought...


Frankly....terrifying!

Vicki 

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