Now begins the lengthy process of going through my first 'completed' work and deciding everything I hate about it and everything I like. Then deciding if that view is justified before I fall into the overediting trap.
Then I simultaneously copyedit and generally style and consistency proof my work.
After that I have a real copy of draft 1.
From what I've been seeing this is a step a lot of would be writers miss. Heinlein's 5th (I think) rule tells you not to edit, that if you wrote something a certain way, theres probably a reason. He was right, but he's also Heinlein.
You are not Heinlein. Nor am I.
So be your own first beta reader, be honest and realistic with yourself about what you've written, don't over think or agonise. Just read it and ask, "Did that make sense, and did I enjoy reading it."
After all, if you can't proof your own work, how can you expect anyone else to?
About Me
- Rhys Milner
- Unpublished wannabe author. Pragmatist that sounds highly pessimist, though isn't. Here I shall document a budding author going through the process from the point of taking writing seriously to the point that I prove that I was right to do so. Or possibly wrong. Either way I hope other unpublished's will find this blog useful as encouragement and a comparison to what they're going through. Also that others may find it amusing.
No comments:
Post a Comment