Revisions and Redressings

Credit to @benwhitephotography

I’ve always been thorough with my work. That sounds good, right? Making sure that the corners aren’t being cut and that I’m checking everything off. My problem, though, is that I more or less get some serious tunnel vision.

I end up cutting corners, skipping steps, and making mistakes because I get so hyperfocused on the current part and it makes me miss otherwise obvious things.

My project is being done in three major waves. Wave one is finished, the rough basic draft. I formatted and outlined everything I wanted to do and slapped it on the page. But, like I said, it comes at an annoying cost, and so now I move onto wave two. This is where I rewrite the book, using the previous version as a basis and a more honed-in outline as a framework. It allows me to notice the things I’m missing (like a key character moment, a set up, or the details of a location that were otherwise skimmed over in the previous draft) and it puts some of those gaps into larger focus.

From here, when I finish (I’m about 40% done with the second draft overall, across the three characters) I’ll repeat the process and hopefully have something resembling a completed manuscript (or at least one close enough to it for my editor to not have a headache).

I’ve always liked the number three, not sure why. It just feels fitting with this series as a whole. Three characters, three focal points, three experiences, three drafts, and so on.

That’s all for now. If you need me, I’ll be in the writer’s room!