posted
I wrote a story as though I were racing a marthon this morning. I've gone back and begun editing, and I realized something -- this is one of the roughest rough drafts I have ever witten. I have hardly gone a sentence without finding a typo or other error.
But as I've been going through, bit by bit, in painstaking slwoness, I realized something. My eyes are glued to every word, checking them over and making sure they are perfect. My normal rough drafts, with long portions without a need for any change at all, have been missing the care I am giving to this one. I wonder if it's better to have a rougher rough draft so that your eyes don't get lazy and start skipping over problems because they assume it's all right.
posted
i think i am on the rougher draft side with this one. if i know it stinks, im more willing to chop it up to make something good...
besides, if i try to be good with my rough draft, the writting gets good, but the story gets watered down.. but i spose im too old to think about more than 1 thing at a time these days... ... ..
posted
Disagree. First you write, then you edit. Personal preference, yes, but personally, I think the only way to make good progress is split it up into two stages.
Posts: 697 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I've done both, editing while I go, and just writing. The results were about the same. I've found that the more I write, edit, and learn about writing, the better my stories get.
So I say just keep writing, as you keep trying it is bound to get better.
I think it is good to try different approaches to the process. If one way doesn't work well, another might.
posted
I'm afraid I'm on the smoother rough draft side. If a rough draft is too rough I get discouraged and would rather just chuck the whole thing. I guess I'm a little anal that way. My husband might, with a chuckle, tell you I'm anal in more ways than that.
Posts: 1672 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I've written both ways, and I've come to the conclusion that each story is different. Sometimes I have to write as fast as I can, focusing completely on the story, and once I know the story I write an entirely new draft without refering to the old one.
posted
Blushing I didn't mean it quite that way, guys. But now I know a little more about the way your minds work. Of course I mean 'anal retentive!' As in, the frustratingly fussy sort. NOT THE OTHER!!!
Posts: 1672 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
If we are talking rough draft as in typos ect--then mine are that splintery chunk of bench no one wants to sit on. Mine often lack punctuation, caps, or spelling.
As to word content--I rarely change that, believe it or not given the way I write that first draft. I may add scenes, move chapters and scenes, but I don't change wording very often. I also add description as description in a first draft often comes out as a note that says in red caps DESCRIBE LAKE or some such.
posted
Hey, it was a contextual thing. What does that one lady say? "In my day husbands and beds were not mentioned together. We took husbands seriously, as the only real obstacle to sin."
When a woman says, "My husband might, with a chuckle, tell you...", there is a distinct change of context in how we recieve whatever is then said. It is a highly suggestive prelude to almost any comment.
posted
Hmm. I can see how having a really rough draft would make you pay more attention to the story in front of you. Unfortunately, I think I'm more like djv, though (in the sense of being analy retentive; what she gets up to in her free time is none of my business Improper spelling bugs the hell out of me. So much though that I've spent about five minutes deciding whether or not I've spelt analy right, or if it should anally, or something different altogether.
posted
I feel as if I have to do a little polishing along the way. I am most motivated to keep writing when I really believe, "Yeah, that last scene was great! What happens next?"
Posts: 292 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:When a woman says, "My husband might, with a chuckle, tell you...", there is a distinct change of context in how we recieve whatever is then said. It is a highly suggestive prelude to almost any comment.
I would submit that this is not always the case with females. Some of us rarely go around talking about bedroom habits between a husband and wife. I would have thought that any who have read dakota's recent and past posts would know the caliber of her comments. I was surprised to find that some misunderstood her meaning so grossly, and then found it necessary to share their thoughts with everyone!
~L.L.
[This message has been edited by Lullaby Lady (edited June 29, 2004).]
posted
When I was in college, I had an issue with the way a professor graded an essay of mine. He explained his reason for the grade, and I said, "But that's what I meant," and he said, "But that's not what you said."
Everyone should just chalk this up as a first-hand lesson that as writers it's not what we mean that counts but what we actually say. And in this case, dakota's comments lacked clarity.
[This message has been edited by Balthasar (edited June 29, 2004).]
posted
I would submit that the entire conversation is off-topic, and in terribly bad taste. So regardless of what she said or meant to say or any other factor, it is not appropriate or worthwhile to discuss.
Now please, lets talk about good stuff. I like to see the yellow sign that there are new posts, and get very depressed when they are not new, but rehashing something that should never have been hashed..
posted
I like to edit as I write. Usually, I type something that brings to mind something else, and I go to check out that scene, and seeing mistakes, I do my best to fix them. Or I go back to check a name, or a date, or some other factual tidbit, and I can't help but keep reading. My WIP novel is so long now (around 75K words, by far the most I've ever written) that I don't remember writing the first 60K, or so. Reading back, it's like seeing someone else's work. I remember the story, but not the small stuff. I fix whatever spelling or gramatical or plot errors there are here, too. I can't help it. I can't stand a bad story. Even if it's my own.
posted
Really, almost anything can be interpreted in bad taste. One time, while I was discussing strategy with a group of wargamers, I happened to say something along the lines of "These guys tried to achieve a penetration by repeated thrusts against the defenders' front, but were beaten off instead." Much fun was then had at the expense of a number of terms commonly employed in describing battles.
Of course, I've been too dignified to actually suggest an alternate meaning to DJ's use of a certain word (which is really never non-dirty--the less-dirty term is "rectal"). And DJ has been quite good natured about it. I was just amused that such an one should state her preference for well parsed language by using such an uncouth and easily misunderstood remark.
But the other lesson is also worth noting. Ladies, remember that what you say and what men hear is often not the same thing, or even a related thing.
posted
For the record, I had the same thought, but it was off-topic and I don't know dakota well enough to make lewd jokes.
cgamble I like the yellow sign that there are new posts too. It's nice that it's a light bulb, which is so often representative of ideas.
I tend to edit while I write when I'm not sure where the story is going. So, sometimes, I'll write sections of a short story in a sort of shorthand for myself so that I can explore a sequence. Things like "Grace arrives at the house. Describe house. She goes inside" Then if I hit a stretch where I know what's happening the words flow. Afterwards I can go back and fix the connective tissue. Sometimes, I realize that I don't need the bridge and I cut it. It, so far, has kept the writer's block away.
quote:But the other lesson is also worth noting. Ladies, remember that what you say and what men hear is often not the same thing, or even a related thing.
Survivor, I can DEFINITELY agree with the above statement!
I'm sorry if I made it all worse for dakota with my former post! I just know she's a great lady, and I'm afraid I got protective...
Truce! ~L.L.
[This message has been edited by Lullaby Lady (edited June 30, 2004).]
I think it's one of those funny things, when somebody feigns amazement at agreeing with me. Come now, I know that secretly you all always agree with everything I say, and only pretend otherwise to be contrary. Tsk tsk.
First, absolutely no offense was taken. I love you guys, respect you guys, have fun with you guys, and am mature enough to laugh at my own mistakes and I hope my friends can have a good time laughing with me.
Second, you all have to understand, that when that original post was written I was not exactly in my right mind. Pain can do that to you. Had I been mentally coherent I would have caught the faux pas. I deeply apologize for the comment that caused your minds to stray.
But, I don't care who ya are--that there was FUUUUNNNNNY!!!
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I didn't mean it quite that way, guys. But now I know a little more about the way your minds work. Of course I mean 'anal retentive!' As in, the frustratingly fussy sort. NOT THE OTHER!!!
Improper spelling bugs the hell out of me. So much though that I've spent about five minutes deciding whether or not I've spelt analy right, or if it should anally, or something different altogether.
