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Joined: 10/2/2011
Posts: 1
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I am about half way through the first draft of a book. I have got to the point where I know who the characters are, what the setting is and what the general shape of the story is going to be. But I don't feel like I have done the characters (or themes) justice so far. So my question is, should I begin editing the first half to bring the characters to life, or should I continue to finish the story?
I'm tempted to go back and edit the first half, as I think it will make writing the rest of it easier, but I am nervous that I will lose momentum and never finish the story!
Help! Thanks, Hannah
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Joined: 3/13/2011
Posts: 222
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Finish the story. You sound like you need to do a full rewrite anyway, so you may as well see where it goes. At least if you take the time to finish the story, you can hammer out all of the other problems that WILL come up in the second half as well. (If you go back and edit now, you'll have a smoother front half and a bad back half.)
Just my two cents.
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Joined: 5/12/2011
Posts: 240
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Vote number two for finish, then rewrite.
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I have mixed feelings on that simply because you feel so strongly. In the end only you can decide the best course.
But it sounds like you’re writing as a mistie, someone who just lets the story come to them, from “out of the mist.”. Nothing wrong with that, I’m that way myself, for the most part, but since you’re feeling as you do, let me ask a few question that may have bearing on the situation:
Have you done much research into how a novel is constructed? A few tricks of the trade, learned before you need them, can make a big difference, and give you more options.
Have you blocked out the novel? In general, a novel is a series of scenes, increasing in intensity and raising the stakes, all leading to the climax. Do you know the path to that climax? Knowing that as you write will guide you and help avoid blind alleys.
Can you say what the story is about in twenty-five words or less? By that I don’t mean the plot, I mean the theme—like, “Be careful what you wish for,” or “Letting go,” etc.
Do you have a good idea of the pitfalls to avoid, like info-dumps and backstory drops?
I suppose what I’m really asking is if you’ve taken steps to prepare yourself to tell the story, as against having a good story idea and a desire to tell it. Most of us, myself included, just begin writing.
Since you’ve changed so much in the course of writing the first half, isn’t it likely to happen again…and again? To prevent that you might want to think about taking a week or so to cram in some fiction writing technique before making the decision to go on or start back on page one. If so, I’d suggest Deb Dixon’s book (www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com/home/gmc.htm). It’s a warm read and will have you saying, “Oh damn, why didn’t I think of the myself?”
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Joined: 5/7/2011
Posts: 42
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Finish first. You can go back and polish and re-situate things once you've got the draft complete. Otherwise -- as you say -- you might not finish because you get bogged down in the details. I'm with Lily and RJ.
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Joined: 4/28/2011
Posts: 60
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I used to be a finish-first-and-then-rewrite sort of person. But I found that when I finished, I didn't then have the energy or the interest left to rewrite and my rewriting would either never get finished or be done half-assed. The trouble was, I'd look back and I would see thousands of things that were 'wrong' in what I had written and then get so overwhelmed by the seemingly insurmountable that I would just stop. Rewriting for me, if you do it at the end, becomes exponentially more complex since things that you change towards the beginning of the book then have to changed consistently through to the end.
Now, I write and then rewrite about every two chapters. Instead of finding my interest in the story becoming diluted, it has intensified as I find myself more satisfied with the product. Also, constantly rereading and rewriting has helped me to maintain consistency in tone and details. And I do this despite being a seat-of-my-pants plotter, or at least I am for about the first third of the book.
Anyway, thought I'd offer a dissenting opinion.
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