OK, the guy who wrote the original article has been working on a manuscript for 8 years, and he's going to talk about how it's changed over that time? I've got stuff that's taken me that long, but that's indicative of psychological barriers to finishing the thing, not because it's needed that much revising. Of course he's going to change the manuscript, he's not the same writer he was 8 years ago, he's got a completely different way of telling a story.
Revising can go a little too long, I think.
I don't know -- I'm only up to the ninth tip, and it's reading to me like someone who's petrified of actually finishing. So much of what he's suggesting isn't necessary at all -- or it's going to be determined by another reader, not post-its in columns.
I'm always leery of advice that talks about tracking the theme or finding out what the story's about. If you don't know all that before you finish the first draft, I'd be worried. Granted, expressing it all clearly can be tweaked, but I suspect some folks just love to revise.
edit: but fixing typos is always in fashion
I found that advice kind of...masturbatory.
But it could be I don't pay enough attention to revisions.
But after eight years, are you still sure that's, you know, The One?
I believe in Lawrence Bloch's advice about washing garbage. Sometimes you can revise all the interesting freshness of a work right out of it.
I'm not really a great judge of my own work.Especially the part where I'm bored means it's boring. Because sometimes I think everything I do is boring, am I always right? Sometimes I'm bored because it comes from life, and the last thing I want is to go over that shit again. Sometimes I'm bored because my facebook friends are all going on vacation or making love or something(maybe simultaneously...I've heard it happens) and I'm like "Guess what, you guys...I've nailed page 37!") and I want what they're having instead.
Actually, the boring advice is somewhat useful. If I'm looking at a scene and I hate it, eventually it dawns on me that maybe the problem is with the scene and not me. Or if I'm racking my brain trying to think of a way to get someone into a car, I'll suddenly go "Duh!" and write "He got in the car."
I know, revelatory, isn't it?
Great idea. And she's getting at least some press, which is part of the goal.
It hurts to hear things like that, though -- seven years spent writing a book, and it really does have only a very short window in which to make an impression, especially today. And the literary novel readership is harder to market to, I think.
Lovely DSF email story, Holli!
