Revising vs. Rewriting


We’re halfway through January. So how are you doing with your resolutions and goals? Do you still remember what they were?

Last week, I crossed off a big one. I finished this round of revisions and sent it off to The Agent on Thursday. Sound the trumpets.

No, it’s not “done” yet. But I need a break. I need to clean my house and get my stuff together for my accountant. While I’m taking that break, I figure The Agent might as well take a look at it and give me her thoughts and suggestions. Because right now I feel like I’m bumping around in the dark and could use someone to shine a light on things for me.

Hopefully, the comments I get back will involve only revisions. ONLY revisions. What I’ve just spent the last six months doing was a rewrite more than a revision. What’s the difference? Well, here’s my distinction:

Revising involves tinkering with words, moving scenes around, fixing odds and ends. Since I live in Pennsylvania, the home of the orange barrel, I compare it to repairing a road. Patch some potholes. Resurface a stretch here and there.

But rewriting is starting with a blank page and creating new prose. Yes, I copied and pasted chunks from the older version. But a lot of what I did was completely new. I changed my protagonist’s past, her voice, her outlook on life, and the tone of the story. Or at least I hope I did. That was the plan. To use my roadwork comparison, rewriting is like tearing up an existing highway and laying down a new roadbed. Maybe rebuilding a bridge or an exit ramp.

Revising takes weeks. Rewriting takes months.

So now I wait to hear whether I’ve been successful in my efforts.

Comments

JC Cassels said…
I feel your pain!

Thanks for sharing this Annette. Sometimes, I'm never sure what I'm doing, rewriting, revising, editing, or completely avoiding finishing so I don't have to face the dreaded rejections.

Enjoy your break.
1/16/12, 10:39 AM
Annette said…
LOL,JC! Yes, avoidance is a big issue.

I think we all come up with our definitions for the steps in the process. Ramona Long recently pointed out that "editing" is done by another person (an editor). What we do to our own work is "revising." But I still catch myself calling some of the revision process editing. Self-editing is probably more accurate.
1/16/12, 10:49 AM
Fred Connors said…
Nice work, Annette. Clearly, you are headed down the right road.
1/16/12, 11:44 AM
Annette said…
Thanks, Fred. One can only hope...
1/16/12, 2:00 PM
Ramona said…
One of my stories needs so much work, I think I have to call it revamping.

Congrats, Annette, for meeting that big, big goal.
1/16/12, 5:33 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom Update

Image
It’s been a while since I wrote anything about my mom. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably noticed a number of posts recently about long nights in the ER with her. I appreciate the kind concerns and prayers from friends and family. But while I know they’re well intended, the “hope she gets well soon” sentiments cut like a finely honed blade. Mom isn’t going to get well. She has good days and bad. More and more of the latter. Today’s “good days” are about the same as the bad ones a couple months ago. She has vascular dementia. In addition to her mental slippage, her legs have grown weak and uncooperative, adding to her pre-existing balance issues. We plead with her to call for assistance to get out of bed. Unfortunately, she can’t remember that she’s had numerable falls lately, so she continues to try to get up and around on her own, resulting in more falls. And in more trips to the ER. She has dislocated her right hip twice now. She’s hit her head more times ...
Read more

A New Face

Image
I've been hearing over and over lately that I need to get new headshots done. People who only know me from my online presence complain when they meet me that I don't look anything like my picture. Hmmm. Is that good or bad? I'm still not sure. However, the fact that I now wear my hair a lot longer than I used to is a fact I can't deny. The problem with new photos is...well, I'm older than I was when I had those last ones done. If I could get away with posting a picture of me when I was 25, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seriously, inside my head, that's still what I look like. Outside? Not so much. But I caved in this weekend. After shooting over 60 frames, I came up with four that I like. So I'm posting them here and asking for a vote. Which ONE photo should be my new "face" for my online persona? Choice #1 Choice #2 Choice #3 Choice #4 Leave a comment with your favorite. Okay, I get to make the final decision, so this...
Read more

The 2010 Confluence Writers' Retreat and Flood

Image
For days, the weathermen had been forecasting “THE FLOOD.” With melting snow pack combined with heavy rains, they were suggesting everyone pack up the women and children and move to high ground. Of course, our writers’ retreat was scheduled to be held at Paddler’s Lane , on the scenic banks of the Youghiogheny River in Confluence. “Confluence.” As in the point where the Yough (pronounced “Yawk”) is joined by the Casselman River and the Laurel Hills Creek. As in the place I spend a large portion of my summer at our camp. I scoffed at the panic mongers. Flood? Heck, it floods every spring. I ain’t afraid of no stinking flood. So off I went. Loaded up the car Friday morning under sunny skies and headed east, with joy in my heart. A whole weekend with my Sisters in Crime in a gorgeous house with lots of food. And writing. Oh, yeah. Lots of writing and—better yet—workshops with Ramona Long . First stop: Panera Bread in Uniontown where I met Sandy Stephen, Susan “ West of Mars ” Gottfried, a...
Read more