Author Melanie Milburne on Revisions and Rewriting and there's a Giveaway!
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I
think the reason a lot of aspiring (and published) writers hate revisions and
rewriting is because they feel they should have got it right in the first
place. I know that’s how I felt for a long time. I would be really annoyed that
I would have three pages of revisions suggestions from my editor, especially as
early in my career I had a book go through with no revisions at all. I began to
wonder what was wrong with me. I thought I was going backwards as a writer.
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Amazon
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Engaged at the Chatsfield by Melanie Milburne
Connect with Melanie over the web:
Website Facebook Twitter Author Page
Revisions and
Rewriting- Melanie Milburne
I
think the reason a lot of aspiring (and published) writers hate revisions and
rewriting is because they feel they should have got it right in the first
place. I know that’s how I felt for a long time. I would be really annoyed that
I would have three pages of revisions suggestions from my editor, especially as
early in my career I had a book go through with no revisions at all. I began to
wonder what was wrong with me. I thought I was going backwards as a writer.
But
now I understand my process is very much tied up in digging for the story. The
true essence of the story comes out in the rewriting and revising.
I
am both a pantser and a plotter, or as James Scott Bell calls it in-Write Your Novel From The Middle- a
tweener. I have a rough idea of where I’m going and I have key scenes in mind
but I have to see where my characters take me.
Having
an editor (or a critique partner) can help you find the gold dust of your
story. You can sometimes be too close to it to see the potential you have there
right for the picking.
Writing is
rewriting. Even after you’ve gotten an agent and an editor, you’ll have to
rewrite. If you fall in love with the vision you want of your work and not your
words, the rewriting will become easier. –Nora DeLoach.
I
have a signed copy of my latest release Book Two from the Chatsfield
continuity- Playboy’s Lesson as well
as a limited edition print copy of my prequel -Engaged at the Chatsfield.
For
those of you who write, what do you love/hate most about your writing process?
Happy
reading and writing!
Melanie
Milburne
Playboy's Lesson (The Chatsfield)
When the Chatsfield heir comes to play…
Lucca Chatsfield has one simple motto: no rings, no strings. Adored wherever he goes, he has yet to meet a woman who can resist him. Until he's sent to the small principality of Preitalle and meets his greatest challenge ever….
Poised and polished, princess Charlotte does not do drama. The very last person she needs interfering in her life is this reckless playboy! Lottie is determined to resist Lucca's seduction, but his charm is potent, and practically perfect Lottie finds herself risking everything for just one more touch….
Lucca Chatsfield has one simple motto: no rings, no strings. Adored wherever he goes, he has yet to meet a woman who can resist him. Until he's sent to the small principality of Preitalle and meets his greatest challenge ever….
Poised and polished, princess Charlotte does not do drama. The very last person she needs interfering in her life is this reckless playboy! Lottie is determined to resist Lucca's seduction, but his charm is potent, and practically perfect Lottie finds herself risking everything for just one more touch….
Buy Link
Amazon
Get this FREE at Amazon now...
Engaged at the Chatsfield by Melanie Milburne
Love that quote! As a writer, I find that revisions can make me really frustrated, especially catching typos!
ReplyDeleteHi Meradeth,
DeleteIt's a fabulous quote, isn't it? Typos are a pain! It's amazing how many I will find even in published books. Readers often blame the author but it can happen during the publication process. Thanks for posting!
You've expressed it so well. I really struggle with rewrites and revisions at times. I learn something new and want to dig back in and start all over again. I'm hoping eventually I'll be satisfied with them!
ReplyDeleteHi Jemi,
DeleteIt's hard work holding all those thoughts in your head as you rewrite and revise.
Good luck with it all. Glad you found my post helpful.
Hi Melanie. I'm just a reader but appreciate what I read so much more now after reading posts such as this. I can't wait to get into the Chatsfield series.
ReplyDeleteHi TashNz,
DeleteThanks for posting. I'm glad it gave you an insight into the writing process. Hope you enjoy the Chatsfields!
I love that: digging for the story. That's so me. I get that first very rough draft done and then the real writing begins.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna,
DeleteSometimes we have to dig a little deeper than others!
Thanks for posting.
Good advice for writers, especially new ones! It's always interesting to see how other writers approach writing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa,
DeleteGlad you found it helpful!
I have a love/hate relationship with revising. Sometimes it's so satisfying to cut away all of the bad writing and unnecessary exposition, and sometimes it's painful to murder my favorite paragraphs. BUT, it's essential, and your advice is a good reminder!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, I think most writers love/hate revising. We hate deleting our lovely words! But some just have to go.
DeleteThanks for posting.
Melanie has some great words of wisdom about editing. Sometimes when I'm polishing my own work I wonder why I wrote such a bad sentence or paragraph. But when it comes to the bigger picture, like a chapter or a major character, I need friends and editors to tell me what's wrong because I'm too close to my stuff to see straight.
ReplyDeleteThe Chatsfield sounds delicious!
Hi Helena,
DeleteYou are so right about being too close to see the problems. It all makes sense when someone else points it out and then I think, why didn't I think of that?
Thanks for posting!
I enjoyed reading Melanie's take on revising. I love revising because it takes a hot mess and transforms it into something shiny and impressive! (Or at least I hope it does. lol)
ReplyDeleteHi Lexa,
DeleteI'm glad you enjoy revising. It's a part of a writer's life whether we like it or not! I'm sure you do a brilliant job of it.
Congrats, Melanie! I know what you mean about feeling like you're going backwards at times as a writer. I drag my feet with revisions, even though I know the book is going to be so much better in the end because of them.
ReplyDeleteHi Cherie,
DeleteMost of us drag our feet over things that are hard to do. Revising is hard as you have to hold the whole document in your head as you tweak things. It's exhausting!
Thanks for posting.
I hate revising because it's so tedious and I'm impatient. haha But I love the end result.
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling us that Playboy's Lesson is free. I'm snatching my copy now. :D Good luck, Melanie!
Hi Chrys,
DeleteI hope you enjoy the Chatsfields!
Thanks for posting.
It's nice to meet Melanie! I love her take on editing and revising. I agree, it's an important part of the process. Not always our favorite, but it makes our writing shine. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll pass on the giveaway; my TBR pile is through the roof!
We definitely feel a sense of failure when we have to do massive rewriting. But over time, you begin to feel more comfortable with the process. The truth is, when you write a novel, it takes months--sometimes a year or more. Over that time, it's easy to lose sight of the big picture because it's broken up in chunks. Revising brings it all together in one short reading and you're able to more easily see the inconsistencies and flaws.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if we could get it right on the first try. But it never happens. It does get kind of frustrating when it's still not right on the hundredth try.
ReplyDeleteI intentionally get everything wrong on the first try. Masochistic? Maybe. But it's the only way I can get words down -- by vomiting them out and cleaning them up later. Good advice, great post.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young I hated revising, because I thought I got it right the first time. Now I love it. I see the story take shape and I have new ideas to make it better.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I give myself permission to have a terrible first draft, and for me the joy really comes in the revising--making characters stronger, plot twists shine, the downs deeper, the ups higher... Anyone who shirks revising is missing out on half the joy.
ReplyDeleteI try to embrace revising- but it is a lot of work. It is so rewarding to see the story come together. I have learned so much from the edits my editor has recommended. Great post! :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
I think I'd actually work better with an outside editor - doing my own revisions feels like a slog because I have to see all that's needed and then make all the changes too. But then, I'm sure I'm learning loads! :-)
ReplyDelete