Having escaped my work and family for about 10 days I went to the World SF Con but first we did our 2010 Melbourne ROR where, Dirk, Richard and Maxine confirmed what I had suspected about my latest book. Luckily, I was prepared for this. (Oops, Id written a science fiction books instead of a fantasy).
We read Richard’s new book Liberator, the sequel to the highly successful Worldshaker, Maxine’s intriguing new book in which proves that obsession can lead to great writing. Who would have though Maxine had been reincarnated from a World War One Flying Ace? And then we read Dirk’s libretto, set in bedlam, staring Lord Byron and the Queen of the Faeries. Honestly, no wonder I felt like a wall flower!
Anyway, what this is leading up to is revision and editing. We call came away with suggestions to make our work better. While I was in Melbourne I was working on the first book of my new trilogy. And it was only on the day before I was due to come back that I realised I’d ended book one in the wrong place and needed to start book two earlier. This meant I had room for extra scenes in book one, and book two would have a better introduction to the characters. All of this is great, but it meant a major reshuffle of scenes and time line.
How did I know the book ended in the wrong place? I don’t know. I just did.
Editing and revision is a really tricky thing. Over at the Mad Genius Club, Sarah Hoyt did this great post on editing and revision and it got me thinking about the ROR Sunday Craft post. When I came to research this topic there were a lot of sites offering software to help you edit your fiction. (I bet a software package couldn’t have told me my book ended in the wrong place). There are plenty of sites to advise you on how to edit your academic essay. And there are plenty of sites offering fiction editing services.
Thank goodness for Holly Lisle! Here is her One-pass Manuscript Revision article. I like the way she comes at this by first asking you to think about theme. Often discovering your theme will help you strengthen your work. When I critique work I often ask people what are your tyring to say in this story. Then Holly asks you to write down the story arc for the main character. Notice she hasn’t talked about actual editing yet. That’s because she’d helping your refine your vision for the book! (If fiction writing were as simple as an academic essay everyone could do it). And Holly has an excellent list of questions to ask yourself about each scene. All of this is really useful.
But you do reach a point where you have looked at a book so many times you can’t see it any more. That’s where I’m a great believer in – I’ll read your first-draft, if you’ll read mine.
When you don’t have a year to put your book aside and refresh your brain with other work, giving it to your critique partner to read can be a life saver. This is why we set up the ROR writing group. For those of you who are interested this is how ROR works. And this is how we critique.
The most important thing about editing and revision, is being open to changes, while keeping in mind your vision for the book. I really like editing. For me the temptation is to go on adding layers. Then I need a crit buddy to take me aside and gently tell me I’ve added too many layers.
How do you tackle editing and revision? Do you work alone? Do you have a critique partner?
I have friends to critique my short stories but not my novel-length stuff. They don’t have time.
I sometimes wonder if this is why I haven’t had novel success yet.
Published novelists can be surprised to see me popping up in their workshops and masterclasses; I tell them I have published short stoies and they get irritated, or think that I am there to show off, or because I want to be heaped with praise. That’s not why I am there. It’s because I need my longer work looked over by professionals and if I have to pay for it, fair enough, because nobody has enough hours in the day for their own writing, much less everyone else in the world who wants a leg up. And I’ve had my fair share of strangers pressing typed pages at me, asking for feedback, and then expecting me to drive around to their workplace and give the pages back.
Thoraiya
Oh, Thoraiya,
Sounds like you’ve met all the wrong people. I can only speak for our ROR group.
We take reading and giving feedback of each other’s manuscript very seriously. I had read full books by the other ROR members outside of our usual ROR, for no other reason than to give feedback when they needed it, rather than waiting another 6 months.
Short stories are a very different medium from novels. As someone who did manuscript appraisals for about 7 years I can say that most of the problems occur in the first 100 pages, because you are trying to set up the story, introduce the characters, fill in the world building and drive the story along.
Hi Rowena,
I’m, a bit like Thoraiya only I don’t have anyone to look over my short stories either. Last year I wrote a novel-length MS and sent it to an assessor because I simply didn’t know what else to do with the draft. I’m about to submit to Varuna for their current HarperCollins intake after you put me onto it earlier this year. So thanks.
I wrote some short stories this year, some of which will appear in ASIM next year. But the ones that have been accepted aren’t, in my opinion, the best stories I’ve written. I have no idea why some are accepted and some aren’t. I’d love to know what I’m doing right, so that I could reproduce it, or improve upon it.
Some of the comments from ASIM helped me understand why the stories that didn’t make it were turned down, but I haven’t recieved anything on why the stories that did make it were any good!
It sounds as though good writing groups are heard to come by. You guys are very lucky to have each other.
BTW, just finished Death Most Definite. Fantastic book Trent. Can’t wait for the next one.
Glad you enjoyed Death Most Definite, Chris. I think it is a real romp and very refreshing as an Urban Fantasy.
Why not join the Vision e-list Chris and put your stories into the files for feedback. It’s not as much fun as going to the meeting, but you will get feedback.
The other thing to consider is when you go to cons and meet fellow writers, read their published short stories, talk with them, see if you feel simpatico. Then email them later and suggest doing a chapter by chapter book swap.
Reading a whole ms in one go is a bit daunting, but if you are reading each other’s ms chapter by chapter each month it is much easier to cope with.
I’d love to go to a few cons. I wanted to get to Melbourne but life happened. Toss up between work, kids, uni, writing and the unexpected.
I’ll have a look at the Vision e-list. Cheers.
Hi Chris,
glad you liked it! I’m busy working on the third book now, my edits are due in just under two weeks.
I’m with you, I don’t always know what’s my best work – a writer is sometimes the worst person to judge their own stuff. Which is why crit groups are great. Remember with assessors, you’re really only asking for their opinion, even if it is a professional opinion. The hard part then is negotiating what they have told you, and seeing if it actually fits with what you think is important for your book. Getting into some sort of regular critiquing group can really help that – also shortens the time spent reeling from criticism to actually dealing with it on the page!
Trent
Hi Trent,
I am clearly rubbish at judging my own stuff and would love to form a group of some sort. A list of SF-minded organisations put together by Rowena (I think) suggested there wasn’t anything in Tas. I suppose if I hang around the right places I could meet some. Really kicking myself I couldn’t get to AussieCon.
Agree about the assessor. He made some really good points and I’ve worked at what he suggested – but what happens next? Did I succeed? It’s a train with no clear destination.
Hoping something like Varuna is the answer.
Chris, I think the vision web page is down at the moment. They had an attack by malware. What ever that is. Here is the updated site which doesn’t have a google redirect on it yet.
http://visionwriters.geeksofbohemia.com
Chris, you are in Tassie? I know of a couple of writers in Tassie.
Tansy is one of them. Why not email her and ask if there is a writing group running at the moment? Click through to her blog to find her.
Yes, I’ve just moved back here. I actually went to Tansy’s book launch but she was obviously too busy to talk. I just wanted to see what a launch was like.
On another topic – and I don’t know if this is the right forum but here goes anyway – what can you do if you have an idea for a great, great story but you know you’re just not a good enough writer to write it? I mean, this thing has defeated me before I’ve even written the first paragraph.
Should I sit on it, and wait until I have developed my skills? Or should I just try anyway, produce a mangled mess and then set about untangling it?
Chris, I’d start writing the story anyway. Let it grow as you grow as a writer. Sometimes the writing of a story helps you realise the theme and subtext, which help you refine it.
Hi Rowena,
Thank you for your reference to Holly Isle’s One Pass Manuscript revision. I spent the weekend prepping three manuscripts that’ve been lying around needing something more than I knew to give them. Yes, thank goodness for Holly.
Rita, I find Holly’s writing article very well thought out. Glad she helped you!
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