I am a revisionist
Filed under Writing Journal on October 7, 2008
Keywords: revisions
I recently found myself identifying strongly with a comment Elaine Cunningham made in recent interview:
Jones: What do you enjoy most about writing?
Cunningham: Quite a few things, but some of my favorite moments involving finding le mot juste–words that express exactly what I wanted to get across. I also enjoy getting to know the characters through the revision process. I’ll start with a basic idea of who the characters are and I’ll do a plot outline, but by the time the rough draft is finished, the characters and I have gotten past the get-acquainted stage and I start to figure out what they’re really about. The initial writing phase is hard, slow work for me; revision, on the other hand, is fun. [Emphasis mine.]
There are times when turning the points of an outline into paragraphs of prose becomes an exercise in pulling teeth. A lot of times. Even when I have a clear picture of the scene in my head, it refuses to translate into words on a blank page.
I attribute this to a streak of perfectionism. And a little bit of fear. I want everything to be just right, the first time. Because if it’s not, then maybe I’m not really meant to be a writer.
Silly stuff, I know.
There is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders once those words appear. Like most writers, I begin each session by reading over what I previously wrote. And I can’t help but tinker. The fact that I’ve rewritten the first three chapters of Shattered Amulet three different times should be a clue. It frustrates my wife to no end.
It’s so much easier to see what the right words are once I have something in front of me to work with, however. I often wonder if I should have been an editor, instead, but I know I’d constantly struggle against replacing the author’s voice with my own. I guess I’ll just have to settle for admitting I like revising better than writing that first draft.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
October 7th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Oh, I’m with you on all this. Blank pages are hard. Pages filled with my words, even if they’re not that great, are much more enjoyable to work with.
And I think you meant to spell your post title Revisionist.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Doh. Good catch. Fixed.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
My favorite is the first draft, interestingly enough. I never pre-outline; I know what a scene might be, but it’s usually just as much a surprise to me as anyone else what goes on when I write a scene. On the plus side, that gives me the immersion necessary to carry it. It’s never near as strong as when I’ve got decent momentum and am just pounding my way through.
October 8th, 2008 at 4:51 am
I actually love most of writing a first draft. I think it’s exciting to have nothing but blank pages. Because, you know, you can make them say anything.
The hard part of the first draft - for me - is what I call writing connective tissue. I’ll have an idea for a scene in a chapter, and I know what the following scene should be … but writing the transition between those scenes can be difficult.
For me, revision’s far less fun. It usually means streamlining, getting extremely nit-picking with my word choices, and rewriting those transitions over and over until I can live with them. The end result is rewarding, but it’s work, not fun.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I like both. With the first draft I feel drunk with power, just pounding out the scene with every description and bit of action I can imagine, the raw translation of what I see in my head with the closest words that can describe that vision. In revision, I sober up, start cutting, rearranging, changing when necessary, adding new ideas, etc. Just fun stuff all the way through.
October 10th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I’ve learned to love the process of revision a little too much. I end up doing exactly what you say above and tear and tear at a piece until it’s nothing but pile of toilet paper the cat’s unwound from the roll.
This usually leads me off to the land of writing notes, trying to get at the heart of what I’m trying to say instead of just saying it.
That said, when I keep myself under control, I really do love revision. I think distance and time are keys to knowing where, when, and how to trim or modify a piece. This is something that doesn’t always work out, but I try my best.