It's done...what now?

[ndmellen]

Hi guys- I haven't been around in a bit (and to be honest, the last few days I was here I was a bit of a confrontational d*ck.)

After a year and a half of work, I just completed the first typed draft of my first novel. The "Black Directive" is 189k words, and 385 pages. The elation and relief can't be described.

I guess the question is: what now?

I know I still have plenty of work to do (The first 69 pages need a thorough going over, as do the sequences leading up to the end). Editing, redrafting, etc.

There are plenty of people here that have already gone through this, and I'm looking for a bit of guidance. Should I take a week or two off to get my head out of the story, or jump back in to make it better now that the hard part is done?

My thanks to any who respond.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

My advice - drawer it for a few weeks, fiddle around with a new project or two, and then come back at it with fresh eyes. It's amazing what a little distance can accomplish.

 

[Penpilot]

There are plenty of people here that have already gone through this, and I'm looking for a bit of guidance. Should I take a week or two off to get my head out of the story, or jump back in to make it better now that the hard part is done?

My thanks to any who respond.

Yeah, it's probably wise to take some time away from the work. How much time is dependant on you. Most recommend 2 weeks to a month. For me, a few days is usually enough because of the way I work.

FYI, not to rain on your parade, but the first draft isn't the hard part, editing is. Editing makes or breaks a story. Unless you're a genius, all first drafts will suck. It doesn't matter if you're Steven King or an amateur slob, first drafts stink and always need work.

 

[ThinkerX]

Put it in a drawer for at least a month. Write other stuff: short stories, maybe.

Then pull it out and get ready for the hard part: editing and rewriting.

I wrote the initial draft of 'Labyrinth' (45,000 words) over the course of about six weeks. Doing the first rewrite took me most of six months and involved cutting a third of my previous work, writing major new sections from scratch, and rewriting the rest. (though I did break that up with some short stories and other projects). Currently I'm just getting back into the second rewrite (I had grammar burnout at the halfway point) and hope to get that wrapped up by the end of the month...assuming I don't get distracted with more bite sized short stories. Currently, 'Labyrinth' stands at better than 65,000 words.

Its a near certainty your looking at something similiar, even if you don't think so now.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Here's an article I wrote about editing. It took me three years to come up with a system for taking the pain out of editing, but this is how I do it now.

Target Editing - A Time-Saving Strategy for Writers

 

[Butterfly]

As others have said, put it aside for a few weeks. The idea is that looking over it so soon after finishing means we are word-blind to our work. We cannot see the mistakes because our brains makes us see what it knows should be there and not what is actually there. With the break it desensitises us to that to, in theory, see it anew.

During the break, I'd suggest reading and researching up on how to edit. If you haven't got to this stage before there's no point in rushing into it not knowing what you should be looking out for. CM's article is a good one.

In addition I'd recommend these books. If you haven't already read them, I highly recommend you do so, they are good guides. If you have, it might be worth reading them again to refresh your mind.

Amazon.com: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (9780060545697): Renni Browne, Dave King: Books

The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller!: Philip Athans, R. A. Salvatore: 9781440501456: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon.com: 2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love eBook: Rachel Aaron: Books

After that, might be worth a read-through before you start and make notes of the problems you see, and any instances where they pop up in your MS. Then, prioritise them as biggest to smallest. Do the biggest ones first as they can mean jumping backwards and forwards in the text to pick out the stitches of the story thread.

 

[C Hollis]

In addition I'd recommend these books. If you haven't already read them, I highly recommend you do so, they are good guides. If you have, it might be worth reading them again to refresh your mind.

Amazon.com: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print (9780060545697): Renni Browne, Dave King: Books

One of my editing checklists was actually created from notes I made while reading this book. There is a lot of good stuff in there.

 

[BWFoster78]

FYI, not to rain on your parade, but the first draft isn't the hard part, editing is. Editing makes or breaks a story. Unless you're a genius, all first drafts will suck. It doesn't matter if you're Steven King or an amateur slob, first drafts stink and always need work.

+1 on this!

The OP implies that his book is in pretty good shape. I thought my book was in decent shape after my 2nd draft. I'm now working on my 4th.

Sorry, but you have a long way to go before it's ready.

 

[TWErvin2]

Like others said, maybe a little time away from it will be good before going back at it.

Realize also, that after the first draft, you're going to have to go through it more than just one more time.

Everyone devises a different method of editing/revision that works for them, just like they do when creating a first draft. In any case, I'd recommend taking notes as you go, things that strike you as needing attention or potential changes, so that you can track and not forget.

For me, the rough draft is the hard part. Editing, that's easier for me. But then again, I'm an English teacher, so reading and finding inconsistencies and troubled areas is part of what I do on a regular basis.

Good luck moving forward--but a last note, if possible I'd recommend working to trim some of the words, especially if you're plan is to seek out an agent and/or publisher. Longer manuscripts, even if they are fantasy which tends to run a bit longer than other genres, are a harder sell for a first time author. But, in the end, you know your story and what it needs to be the best it can be.

 

[ndmellen]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. Several mentioned working on something else for a week or two...Do you think the sequel would work, or would that just be putting myself back into the same position?

 

[ThinkerX]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. Several mentioned working on something else for a week or two...Do you think the sequel would work, or would that just be putting myself back into the same position?

I'd have to recommend against it, especially if its a direct continuation. I'd also recommend more than a week or two. Four to six weeks concentrating on something else altogether would be best. You want to approach the rewrite from a distance.

Instead, I'd suggest picking some other part of your world, with entirely different characters, and doing a short story or two on them. Perhaps you might take up a challenge story - Sheilawisz has one going now, and likely Ankari will be putting up another 'Iron Pen' prompt this weekend or next.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Actually I'd go a different route. Get your first draft to the best you can, then give it to someone else to read. Not to edit, just to read. (If they find a few grammar / spelling errors that's ok, but it's not what you want.) At this stage what you want is feedback. Get them to make notes as they read. Things like what works / what doesn't. What they understand and what they didn't. Places where things don't seem right. This is what you need to get so that you can then work on the second draft. Spelling, grammar and that sort of stuff comes last. You have to get the story to flow and the plot without holes first.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[BWFoster78]

From the OP's comments, I'm guessing that this is a first novel. I think he probably needs to focus more on becoming a better writer than on trying to get this work finished. To be honest, he probably has a long way to go.

When trying to polish a novel, there is a definite benefit in gaining distance from it. However, that distance works best when you've got some experience and you're taking it from a relatively polished piece to a something that's ready to go to the editor. For polishing a rough draft, I just don't see the benefit.

As psychotick advised above, the OP needs feedback.

Go though and polish it. Get rid of as many grammar issues and typos as you can. Tighten the writing. If it's not needed, delete it.

I would suggest, however, sending small portions out for feedback now. Post a scene or two on the showcase. Get it ripped apart and learn from your mistakes. Incorporate those lessons in the revisions.

Send the second draft to beta readers.

 

[TWErvin2]

Thanks to everyone that has responded. Several mentioned working on something else for a week or two...Do you think the sequel would work, or would that just be putting myself back into the same position?

While it depends on your goal with the first novel, writing a sequel to a work that might never see publication could be a waste of time--not completely as you'll learn through the effort. Unless the sequel is truly a standalone novel, and not dependent on events and character development in the first, then if the first novel doesn't sell/reach publication, the second one never will.

Because of this, consider working on a totally new project.

I will say, however, there is nothing wrong with--and it might be a very good idea--to write the first chapter or two of the sequel. Why? Because it will help keep the voice and tone of the first novel, picking up where the first left off. Also, sometimes it is difficult to start a project...to get it going, and this would give you a leg up on that, as you already have the story/characters and the like flowing, so to speak.

 

[Steerpike]

It doesn't matter if you're Steven King or an amateur slob, first drafts stink and always need work.

I don't agree with this as an absolute, having sold a first draft of a story. Likelihood is that it needs revision, but from what I've read there are authors in the fantasy genre who published what were essentially first drafts, written over a matter of days. As you noted, though, the time to make this assessment is after getting some distance between yourself and the work, by putting it away from a couple of weeks or so.

 

[Scribble]

I don't agree with this as an absolute, having sold a first draft of a story. Likelihood is that it needs revision, but from what I've read there are authors in the fantasy genre who published what were essentially first drafts, written over a matter of days. As you noted, though, the time to make this assessment is after getting some distance between yourself and the work, by putting it away from a couple of weeks or so.

Agree it's not an absolute, as I believe there is a continuum, a wide range of how writing "comes together to produce excellent fiction". There are some people who can manage somehow to produce literary excellence on the first go. I am in awe of those people, and almost never hope they trip over something and break their noses. And then there are poor, average schleps like me who tell themselves that first draft is garbage in order to summon the will to keep going. I suppose by definition there are people on the other end of the spectrum where no amount of rewriting will produce excellent literature. These often become bestselling authors of paranormal romance.

 

[Penpilot]

I don't agree with this as an absolute, having sold a first draft of a story. Likelihood is that it needs revision, but from what I've read there are authors in the fantasy genre who published what were essentially first drafts, written over a matter of days. As you noted, though, the time to make this assessment is after getting some distance between yourself and the work, by putting it away from a couple of weeks or so.

Definitely it's not an absolute, but the awesome first drafts are IMHO an exception, and are more likely with an experienced writer. First novel, first draft, chances are more likely it's going to be rougher than a first draft by someone writing their fourth novel, so I'd rather make a hyperbolic statement in light of the OP thinking that finishing a first draft is the easy part when its not.

 

[ndmellen]

Once again, thank you to everyone that has taken the time to offer me their opinions.

While I've been writing for years, I've never managed to make it all the way through on a novel (mainly because my approach was all wrong.)

I may have been mistaken when I said this was the first draft...i guess, technically, it's the second draft. Initially, I went through and wrote out a full outline (what I thought, at the time, was a first draft.) The entire story was developed and then written in pen and spiral notebook. Once finished, I began the task of typing it (and I was stupid to think that typing it all up would be quick and easy.) This process took as long as writing the original outline due to fleshing it all out and making it better.

I've been very fortunate to have had five people read it through. While I encouraged everyone to "slit my throat", the reviews were overwhelmingly positive...when what I wanted was for people to be as brutal as possible.

I'll be the first person to say I'm not even remotely close to being ready to send out query letters. I want to go back over the first 60 pages as well as the last 30. Call me cocky if you will, but I feel confident that what I currently have is still better than roughly 70% of books that I've read (granted, i've read a lot of things that I tossed disdainfully to the side, much as I would imagine all of you have.)

I didn't go to school for writing. I don't know the rules that many authors seem to. I've learned most of my style by reading and writing for a variety of websites...

With that being said, I know, KNOW, that I should take a break from it...

But I just don't want to. Finishing the first typed draft was so invigorating that I want to dive right back into it and fix the areas that I know need work. Would that be considered editing, or is that just taking care of business?

 

[ThinkerX]

But I just don't want to. Finishing the first typed draft was so invigorating that I want to dive right back into it and fix the areas that I know need work. Would that be considered editing, or is that just taking care of business?

That attitude is exactly why you need to set it aside for a month or more.

Yes, right now it seems great. But unless you are a literal reincarnation of one of the great authors of the past, it has issues, structural and otherwise that you have a blind spot to right now.

I'd suggest going the short story route. Pick a couple of minor characters, far from the center of the action, and write a tale or three about them.

 

[PaulineMRoss]

I've been very fortunate to have had five people read it through. While I encouraged everyone to "slit my throat", the reviews were overwhelmingly positive...when what I wanted was for people to be as brutal as possible.

You really need to post some of it here in the Showcase forum. There are folks here who specialise in brutal ;-)

On taking a break: this is standard advice, but I really don't think there are any obligatory rules. If you have changes you're burning to make, and no other story that's calling for your attention at the moment, I would say go for it. Writing's not school, you set your own assignments.