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Mar 6, 2012 11:43:32 GMT -5
Post by nicolet on Mar 6, 2012 11:43:32 GMT -5
I've no idea what happened but along the way I seemed to lose sense of my MC. She was different than how i imagined. Today i sat down and asked myself what to do, and finally figured out what her responses should be in different scenes that would really suit who she really is.
Unfortunately I'm already at the 14k benchmark and to go back and edit all the scenes would just eat at me! I might just stop and just edit edit edit away trying to make each scene perfect even though this is a first draft.
However, to leave it as it is now and just continue forward at scenes with the right responses would also eat at me. And now I just stare at the words and curse myself for not writing her right the first time.
What should I dooooooo?
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sandi
New Member
Posts: 37
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Help!
Mar 6, 2012 13:48:54 GMT -5
Post by sandi on Mar 6, 2012 13:48:54 GMT -5
Get an egg timer. Put a half hour on it. For that half hour, go back and edit. When the half hour is over, spend the rest of the time writing the rest of the story.
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Mar 6, 2012 13:54:08 GMT -5
Post by Agent Double Oh Zero on Mar 6, 2012 13:54:08 GMT -5
This is the first draft. It's okay to make mistakes: that's what it's for! Since you already know what edits you want to make, I'd suggest making notes for each scene, to do later, when you edit. If it helps, take out the words afterwards, leaving only the notes. That way you know what your draft is supposed to be, but you're not staring at stuff that's obsolete.
Don't curse yourself for "not doing it right," though. Did da Vinci learn to draw and paint from day 1? Just as people have to learn to draw and paint well, people have to practice writing too. Also, as with all art, the vision you have will be refined as you work on it. It's never just there, in existence, like an assignment description for school, where everything you have to do is just laid out. Vision evolves. Therefore, don't think of all those words as wasted effort. It's only a natural way of learning about your story as it's truly meant to be.
(And...you know...14k of incorrect character is nothing. I've probably got half a million words of incorrect novel that will never see the light of day.)
Relax. You're fine. :-)
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Mar 6, 2012 16:17:16 GMT -5
Post by RJA on Mar 6, 2012 16:17:16 GMT -5
Hard decision. I'd say just mark the point where you are now, so you know 'till what point you've still got to change the character (while editting) and just move on. Maybe make some marks on how you want the charater to be like. But I know the feeling when it just keeps bugging you. How long do you think it'll take to change it? Otherwise I'd say just make some quick adjustments and carry on. You're 14k in and 24 days to go. There is time to make some changes
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Mar 9, 2012 14:42:54 GMT -5
Post by Agent Double Oh Zero on Mar 9, 2012 14:42:54 GMT -5
How's your draft going? :-D
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Mar 10, 2012 1:28:55 GMT -5
Post by nicolet on Mar 10, 2012 1:28:55 GMT -5
Hey all, I've stopped the flow of the story so far and have been going back to edit the chapters, because as I go on, it really nagged at me, and I realized so many new scenes could've been added to make it more interesting. So here I am, deleting and rewriting because even if its the first draft I want to make it easier to write as it goes along. Thanks for the help!
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Mar 10, 2012 10:26:36 GMT -5
Post by RJA on Mar 10, 2012 10:26:36 GMT -5
Good luck with editting! Hopefully you've got the mistakes out in a couple of days and will be able to continue!
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Mar 10, 2012 22:20:49 GMT -5
Post by nicolet on Mar 10, 2012 22:20:49 GMT -5
I still hate writing rewrites though. They drain the excitement out of me. :/
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Mar 10, 2012 22:31:04 GMT -5
Post by RJA on Mar 10, 2012 22:31:04 GMT -5
*Hugs* though I've never rewritten much, I think I know what you mean. That is exactly what keeps me from rewriting mostly...
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Mar 12, 2012 16:48:07 GMT -5
Post by Agent Double Oh Zero on Mar 12, 2012 16:48:07 GMT -5
Rewriting is a pain for me...usually because I end up with a result that is just as bad as the original, and no improvement either! XD =(
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Mar 13, 2012 2:14:03 GMT -5
Post by butterflywings on Mar 13, 2012 2:14:03 GMT -5
Hehehe. I have that problem, too. Sometimes I think I edit all the originality out...
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