So, if you’ve been reading, you know I’m in rewrites. Yep, still. But I think I see the light ahead (then again, I always say that. Makes me happy, true or not.)
Anyhoo, I thought I’d share my method and what I’ve learned about rewrites and their 4 phases. Because as much as I hear refer to it as Rewrite Hell, it doesn’t have to be. (Yes, really-really, I pinky-swear.) In the coming weeks I’ll go over each phase in greater detail, broken down into easily digested steps and lists (ooh, pretty lists!).
This week, I’ll go over a broad-picture of the plan.
Phase 1: Assessment. This is where you have to go through your completed manuscript and make an honest of assessment of what’s working, and what’s not.
Phase 2: Macro assessment and changes. This is where you determine if the structure and “big deal” items of the plot are working. Here a “revised vision” may come into play to help structure your rewrites.
Phase 3: Implementation of macro changes and the revised vision. Actual rewrites taking place.
Phase 4: Micro assessment and changes. Here you get to finally go through and make the polish, cleaning up excess wordiness, adverbs, overused words, etc.
See? Totally easy. Didn’t I promise? 😉
What about you: do you have a rewrite plan or method? Does it sound completely different than this? Is it super efficient (if it is, you MUST share for the good of the world and happiness of baby kittens everywhere … and the sanity of fellow writers). 😉
Otherwise, thanks for reading, have a great week. And hey, why not sign up to follow the blog while you’re here?
Comments
3 responses to “Rewrites in 4 Easy Phases: Yes, seriously”
You are so organised: and I am ull of admiration. I don’t write books; I write articles. Trained as a journalist, I am used to sub editors squeezing my work through a sieve to get rid of all the pulp. It was a painful process but now I would never consider wandering anywhere near publication without at least one pernickety sub to put me right where I am wrong. I love your macro-micro approach.
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. 🙂 I try to be organized, but sometimes it’s still a work in progress (well, lots of the time). 😉 I use critique partners and my own impatience to try and get rid of the “pulp” as you put it. Working with the macro-micro approach this time, and hoping it works well. 🙂 Have a good one.
Apologies 😀 Full of admiration!