Approaching Rewrites - The After Process

APPROACHING REWRITES

I have spent the past two months not drafting. I finished my last two drafting projects for a while at the end of June. I then dove into revision and rewriting two older projects that I knew needed a lot of work. I wanted to be able to spend some time with them without the editor deadline hanging over me. I especially didn't want to get to that point and find that I needed to cut and rewrite the whole project with little time to get it done. So, I decided to do this instead, and I have to say that it's been a real eye opener for me.

One of the projects, a YA urban fantasy/romance, was one that I really thought would be in somewhat okay shape. I knew that when I wrote it, I was pretty on the ball with the idea and what came after it. I knew how I wanted things to play out and I was less worried about the word count being too high because a lot of the story involved fantasy elements that needed a little more explanation. I was also pretty sure that the pacing was about right, with a few tweaks it should hold up.

The other project, a YA thriller, was the one I was extremely worried about. I felt like it was way too long, that I spent chapters here and there going around in circles. I was worried that it would need stripping down to the bone and starting all over again. The word count would almost be cut by a third and the whole thing would just need to be rewritten and restarted, but with a bit more of an outline and idea with how the story would go.

Both of these projects surprised me. The first was in much better shape than I remembered, though there were some things that I'd like to lean into more, and feel like the pacing needs a little bit more work to get things to hit the right way. There are some plot holes, which I've managed to find an answer for, and others that I need to think about a little more before I really call them solved. I adore the characters and think that their romance works really well. The ending was a little lacklustre, but at the same time, I can work with that.

The second project was pretty tight already pacing wise. Those chapters I worried about that would need to be cut were not in as dire shape as I thought. My biggest issue right now is how to cut a third of the word count without rushing through the whole thing and knocking the pacing out. I spotted a couple of plot holes, but overall, it's actually not too bad. I still think it's way too long, and I knew that as an overwriter, I was going to have to work out what I could cut. I assumed I'd be able to lose a few chapters at the start and in the middle, but found that I jumped right to the action so there were none of those to worry about. It's making me wonder just how I'm going to cut it down.

I tell you all this not just because it's interesting to me, but because approaching rewrites can be daunting. If you're anything like me, it's been a while since you read the book, and you can remember bits and pieces, but that doesn't mean you can remember both the good and the bad. I always remember the bad. I did it with THIRD ACHE in revisions too, thinking that there was this whole plot thread that would need to be bulked up. It was already done, I just didn't remember all of that.

Rewrites can be scary, they can be daunting, because you're taking this thing you wrote, and poured all your energy into and basically saying that some, or all, of it is not good enough to remain. It can be disheartening and while I plan to stay doing rewrites and revision for this year and next, it's also hard to focus on the end goal rather than just seeing the mess of the first draft.

That said, I know I can craft these into better stories. I got this, and so do you. We're gonna make them amazing!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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