All posts tagged: draft revisions

Write On, Wednesday: My Patchwork Novel

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By Leslie Lindsay I am a pantser. Not in real life, mind you. In real life, I plan and ponder and process. But in in my writing life, I follow the pen. And now I have the big task of  piece-ing my novel together. At first, it sounded fun. Here’s how I had imagined things working: Focus on one character at a time in my multple-POV novel (which straddles several time periods). Write the first draft–a decent first draft–of each chapter for each chacter (neverminding what order those chapters “came,” just as long as they did but still sticking with that one character). Done! Send chapter-by-chapter to my lovely critique partner for her feedback lashing thoughful comments and then revise. Did that. Now I can honestly say I have a revised first draft. Does that make it draft 2? Well, if we’re not splitting hairs, then yes. Now I have all POVs done. But they are not in any kind of order. At all. Sure, in my mind, it’s brilliant and I have a good sense …

Write on, Wednesday! To Plot, or Not to Plot…that is the Question

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By Leslie Lindsay As most of you know, I am feverishly working on a novel.  Second draft revisions…rewrites, or whatever you want to call ’em are tough.  The first draft was all composed on the fly.  That is, I am a pantser (as in seat-of-my-pants).  I first heard that term when I attended the Write-by-the-Lake retreat this past June.  I heard it again when I was reading the latest issue of Writer’s Digest (March/April 2013). So, let’s back up to that statement at the top:  Second-draft revisions are tough.  As I’ve been working through this draft with my wonderful writing partner (who reads, critiques, gives, suggestions, and kicks my butt), I’ve been seriously considering starting the next book with a good old-fashioned outline, thinking it would make those 2nd draft revisions much easier.  After reading this article in WD, I am wrong, wrong, wrong!  Take what you want–work how you want–but for me, the outline may not be my bestfriend.  It’s too limiting.  It’s too old-school, it’s too predictable…and it sort of takes the fun …