But I do get to go back and read what I wrote. That's fun. Adding words, even chapters is the tough part. Many of you overwrite and have to chop. I am way more conservative with my writing and have to beef it all up. Maybe that's the simplifying math person in me. Or maybe that's just how I write. To even think I have a complete novel, I have to have a whole story in outlined sentences. Then I use my notebooks to add what actually happens in the chapters. When I get to typing, I touch up the scenes with details and add more characters and background. So now I'm done with that phase and I have the skeleton of a book. Time to add some muscle!
Hope everyone is doing well with their writing! How do you get through your first draft? What are you working on?
To give myself inspiration, I visualize. In addition to drawing maps and making lists and charts for my book (total plotter!) I also flutz around with cover ideas...here's my fun cover for
Broken Branch Falls - The story of a high school goblin who wants to break free from his stereotype, which also means breaking the law.
PS - lots coming up in September and still going on right now - check out my packed sidebar!
31 comments:
You're not the only one! I have to go back and add a lot of description as well. We're just bare bones writers.
Congratulations on finishing though!
I am a waffler! I write all kinds of unnecessary stuff in my first draft and have to cull most of it during edits. I wish I could make my first draft a bit tighter!
I tend to write short for my novel and then have to go back in and flesh everything out. But for stories, I tend to write long then have to cut back to find the heart of the story. :)
Congrats on all your hard work during Camp NaNo! :)
Congrats on finishing, Tara! I have about 8,000 more words to go. Getting there. :)
I tend to overwrite and then have to cut.
I'm currently editing my new first draft. Like you, Tara, there's a lot of beefing up involved, especially near the end. Then it was just a race to finish. Fortunately I love editing. :D
I'm the same, I'm near the end of mine now and still have 8000 words to write, I think I'll only just have enough! I'm looking forward to going through it and fleshing it out :)
Congrats on finishing OMG YAY that's great news! I am the same, I always have to add and flesh out, never cut. YAY that it's finished.
Hope I'll be trusted with a beta read someday ;)
Love the cover! Yes, my first draft is often a mess and I must go back, put it in order and flesh it all out. Tough stuff. Good luck!
I have to add some meat to my ms. when I'm done with the first draft too. I honestly don't know which is better to add or cut. Congrats girl.
I overwrite then delete. You add muscle, I cut the fat. :)
Cute cover! Great visual inspiration for you. :)
I have to go back and add description too - I tend to focus on the characters and the plot.
Congrats on your NaNo progress!
And that is a busy side bar . . .I'm trying to figure out which ones I'm participating in . . .other than Genre Favorites.
Tara- I also am the "underwriter" who has to go back in and add all the good stuff.
I'm not good at outlining is advance. I make a summary, simple notations and add more as I'm actually writing the novel. I know it's not the best way but my brain refuses to work on the organized stuff until after I have started the novel. Go figure.
Oh yeah, your side bar is PACKED. I like your book cover and can't wait to read about your goblin breaking the law and being himself.
I draft the bare-bones and then add in, but I've added in so much that I now have a 110k manuscript. Which I don't know if I can cut down, because the stuff in it are there because I needed them. :-/
I love first drafts. I get to write for me. I usually fall on the short end of words and have to go back and spice things up.
I love the idea for your story! Fun cover too. First drafts are my favorite. I love just getting lost in the story. My problem is that I have to cut out words from it when I'm revising, and I'm don't do well doing it for myself.
I'm done with Camp NaNoWriMo and tickled to death that I managed to write 50k in 19 days (actual writing days), still have an other 10-15 for the story finish.
But like you, the editing is going to be clean-up (hubby keeps telling me about all my typos as he reads the story) as well as more descriptions. I have a ton of dialogue, I love writing dialogue. I just hate describing the scene of the dialogue. LOL!
Sounds like we've got the same problem, we need to make sure folks can see our story, not just hear it. Sigh...one month first draft = three months editing.
Tara, looks like we are in good company. I like to get the bones down and then I go through revision after revision adding in the details. I think of it as bones, muscles, sinews, skin, clothes, then the accessories. :) In the end I hope for a well dressed novel.
Good luck adding stuff in! I'm almost done with 2nd round edits with my editor. Line edits and then copy edits come next. By November I want to lay out the bones for the sequel. The good news is I have 50K nano from a few years ago to pull from.
Yeah I definitely tend to under write at times. It's mostly because I don't want to saddle my MS with these long, drawn out descriptions.
Good luck Tara! You're awesome :)
What an awesome cover!
Go Tara go!!
Love the cover - cute design and funky little goblin to match!
Alex, that's great to hear that I'm not the only one who does that! thanks!
Kyra, hard to know which is better. but editing is necessary either way!
Madeline, I have to cut my short stories too. That's where you want efficient writing!
Dana, way to go girl! almost done!
Stina, it's great that you love editing. that seems to be the biggest part of writing!
Laura, congrats! you're ahead of schedule!
Vikki, of course you can read it! thanks, woman!
Lisa, fleshing it out can be tough, but it makes me get deeper into the story...and thanks!
CAMB, thank you!
Jessie, when i write short stories I have to cut, adding detail and description makes a better story, taking it out makes me sad...
Emily, either way it's a workout! ha! thank you!
Tyrean, it is going to be a busy month!
Brinda, good stuff is right! rushing through i skip the good stuff!
Sheena, you feel the story. pantsing it is great for you! and thanks!
Misha, i know that feeling! hate cutting the good stuff!
Elizabeth, you know how to spice things up, all right!
Christine, thank you! and that's why you have cp's!
Donna, way to go! and nice that you have a close editor =) yes, editing is the biggest part!
Charity, you said it! and way to go on your writing progress! you're so fast!
Samantha, thanks, sweetie! and i don't like the long drawn out descriptions either so i guess that's why i'm not good at writing them!
Kelley, thank you! good luck with your pub process!
Mish, you always say the sweetest things! thanks!
I'm usually on the other side of this problem - word count way too high and trying to trim. But on my current rewrite, I'm with you. Trying to go back and layer in more physical/sensory descriptions. Good luck to us both.
yay congrats--what a cute cover!
I usually have to beef up on my second draft too--you're not alone!
And that cover with the goblin is adorable. :)
I need to get more motivated with my current WIPs. Perhaps I'm dragging because I just finished a ms. I'll get back to it soon, I'm sure.
These days I write a simultaneous 1st &I 2nd draft. That goes to my crit partners. From the feedback and my own instincts, I create the polished draft. That goes to the editor. From that, I create the final version.
The 1st/2nd draft takes the longest for me.
Are you self publishing Broken Branch Falls?
I tend to need the beefing up process as well. Have fun adding that muscle!
My first drafts are pretty skeletal, too! I have to add in subplots or setting or bridge scenes.
LOVE your green guy cover! :)
Love your premise! Cool! I don't think I'll ever write one story the same way :0 I've done them all, but have found the less I plot and plan (which goes against my nature), the easier it is to write. Not sure how that works with my brain, but it does so I better not question it :)
Holy cow! Love that cover!!!
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