Writing Tip of the Week
Rewriting to Oblivion
“Dan, how many times do you rewrite one of your novels or short stories?”
“I don’t.”
“Whutt?”
“Don’t believe in it.”
“Yeahbutt, yah goddah rewrite!”
“Why?”
“I mean… well… you know… everybody rewrites!”
“I don’t.”
At that point I mentioned Rule #3 of Heinlein’s Five Rules for Writers: You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order. I added Harlan Ellison’s addendum: and only if you agree.
“Yeahbutt, I mean, really, ya just goddah rewrite!”
No, you don’t. If that process works for you, if you need that mental and emotional reinforcement, knock yourself out. But, consider two factors about rewriting. One is a creative decision. The other is a business decision.
I have read many authors bragging about the number of rewrites they produce. Some even advocate always rewriting any project X number of times. “I sometimes sense a touch of smugness when I hear, “I always do 20 rewrites.” At that point, the author has strayed from writing into religion. This is a serious consideration. How much better is rewrite number twenty than rewrite number twelve or six or three? Seriously, after all that labor, how much better is the work? When I make this comment to other writers, inevitably Mark Twain’s famous advice comes into play: The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between a lightning-bug and lightning. Absolutely right, but your subconscious mind already knows that and is always engaged in selecting the right word as you write. Sweating blood over “rich” vs. “wealthy” is a waste of time because the right word is already in place.
NOTE: I do read through my work as I go. I’ll read yesterday’s Chapter One before I start writing Chapter Two today. During that review, my subconscious mind may say, “Hey, tall is better than high.” I’ll change the one word and move on. I’ll also correct any grammar or spelling problems or any historical errors I find, but that’s not rewriting. It’s spot checking. The read-through goes fast and I move on without angst.
It’s quite possible and amazingly easy to rewrite a good work into oblivion. The first draft of any work is the closest version to the writer’s heart and the spark that inspired it. Every rewrite takes the writing further from the heart of the writer.
This is a good point to return to Dan’s 85 percent rule. I believe that any proficient writer, like you, will hit 85 percent of his quality goal in the first draft. (This is my blog; these are my numbers.) A read-through should improve that percentage at least five percent. That brings your work up to 90 percent of your quality goal. I hire an editor and when her comments come in, I adjust the manuscript accordingly (again, if I agree). A good editor should be able to squeeze out another five percent improvement for you.
That brings the first draft up to 95 percent of however you define “really good, man.” To me that’s also good enough. Before any hackles rise out there, remember achieving 100 percent of any goal is impossible. That’s especially true in writing if for no other reason that you improve as you write. You’re automatically more proficient at Chapter 45 than you were at Chapter One.
The sweating blood effort of rewriting, therefore, is an attempt to squeeze out an improvement of no more than a few percentage points – 96 to 99.
Only the individual writer can decide, but he should give thought to whether the effort is worth the time.
The second factor is purely a matter of business. While you’re sweating out the multiple rewrites, the writers who agree with Heinlen and Ellison are busy writing their next work. In the competitive world of publication, they have a head start.
Rewriting just because “that’s what you’re supposed to do” is a waste of time and energy, of heart, talent and of the good work you have just completed and the new good work you could be writing instead. Before you’re tempted to rewrite your latest work, stop and ask yourself a very important question.
Why is this a good idea?
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Quote of the Week: “Personally, I think you learn more from finishing things, from seeing them in print, wincing, and then figuring out what you did wrong, than you could ever do from eternally rewriting the same thing.” Emily Temple
Recommended Reading: Writing Into The Dark – How to Write a Novel Without an Outline by Dean Wesley Smith
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