Today I wanted to open up the floor to our lovely readers and find out about YOUR writing strategies. Me (Liz!) and our resident dude, Auzy, are currently adapting into our writing lives again and would love to know what works for you. For some it's setting a daily word count, or a weekly count. While for others they find the write better when they Word War or time themselves, especially with Write or Die (love that site!)
Do you tend to write and rewrite the previous chapter as you draft? Or do you get that sucker down and don't look back until it's all done? Do you write in order? Out of order? Are you a crazy outliner or a smooth-sailing-see-where-it-goes kinda writer?
Let us know! We'd love to learn about the different processes we all use, and who knows you may even find one you'd like to try out too!
Cheers,
~Liz
I definitely write, re-write, and polish chapters as I draft. Each chapter, when written, goes off to critique partners. So I make sure I'm satisfied with it before I send it.
ReplyDeleteI usually move on to the next chapter after that (while anxiously waiting for feedback). I usually just make note of the feedback and continue, but once in awhile I get the big BUZZER NOISE from critique partners. And then I might re-write that previous chapter before moving on in the draft. But that only happens when I've made a really important mis-step.
Otherwise, I just make notes for second draft revision.
I'm one of those crazy...uh, I mean detailed outliners. Each have been somewhere between 50-130 pages in length. It's like a mini-version of my book, then I rewrite it into a full-length novel.
ReplyDeleteI don't do word counts because I'd rather write fifty well-thought out words than a thousand careless ones that I'd only end up deleting later. Also, I always stop writing on a good note, rather than a difficult scene that I'm struggling with. That way, the next day, I can jump back in with very little effort.
Some of my CPs read each chapter as I write them and others wait for me to finish the book before reading and giving feedback. After all the main issues have been addressed, I do at least one revision pass for content and/or line editing, then once more for a final polish where I get brutal with myself on what stays and what goes.
It's really been a learning process to get to this point. And it probably sounds like a strange system, but it works for me. :)
I do the best I can, and then don't beat myself up if I have an off day. Some days if flows and there's a complete chapter done without my noticing. On other days it feels like pulling teeth. If writing ever feels like a chore, then I'll stop.
ReplyDeleteDianne--do you find that chapter by chapter feedback motivates you to keep going and stay on schedule?
ReplyDeleteJO--good point sometimes stepping back and coming back with fresh eyes can be SO helpful!
ReplyDeleteAlison--Interesting system. WOW you're outlines are HUGE!! I wonder how your synopsis writing skills are lol
LOL I use the same method for writing my synopsis, though those tend to be a bit smaller in size. ;)
ReplyDelete