Your Discussions Manage
Discussions you started

Got something to say? Pick a topic and start a discussion. It will be saved for you to follow and track.

Browse Topics
Discussions you're Following Join Now

See what our community is saying about your interests. Follow your favorite topics here.

Search Discussions
    Discussions you started ()
  • Discussions you're Following ()
Discussions recommended by your connections will appear here
Recommendations from your Connections ()
What's this? 

Okay, so you've finished your first draft. Now what? Talk about the process of revision and support other members as they revise their own work.

First Draft - Revise now or later?

70
Posted on 5/31/2011
A few things have been brought to my attention in the first draft of my urban fantasy/noir novel.  They're things that change fundamentals of the story, and I'm unsure if I should take the time now to go back and address these changes, or wait until I'm done banging away on the first draft until it's done.  On the one hand having momentum is a good thing, but on the other I'm eager to see how this change affects the rest of the plot and the lives of my characters.  What are your thoughts?
Showing 1 to 6 of 6 comments
2 years, 17 days ago

I do both. It seems unlikely, but... I have ADD I guess. Sometimes I NEED to make the changes because they do indeed change the story. So my advice would be... It depends on the changes. If you are just wanting to change minor things, do it after you finish the chapter/book. If it will change the layout or plot to the story, do it now, or you will have more changes down the road. This is how it looks when im working on chapter with changes to plots, I have the chapter in progress, when a BIg change shows up I write it all out on a seperate piece of paper, then I go through it with the chapter I have and see if it's workable and if I like it. Hope my ADD, OCD or whatever people call it these days helped you out.

By the way, I am in the process of reviewing one of your books. I have the notes and will try and get that finished this evening. So far I like it!
Is this a constructive response?
0
0
2 years, 17 days ago

What you do depends on the problems that need fixing. If you’re typing form when you mean from; if you use “that” too often (“he thought that it was a good idea,” for example) You keep going, because it’s an editing problem. If you find that the POV is you talking about the story, rather then placing the reader on the scene, you’re going to have to do a LOT of editing, so maybe it’s best to edit into submission and keep going when you hit the current stopping point.

If, on the other hand, your problems are that you’re presenting a chronicle instead of scenes, and having the characters emote to make plot points rather then living the story it’s not something you can fix based on a bit of advice here. You would need to gain additional knowledge of craft and then reorganize the story into a series of scenes that move the plot and raise the tension, constantly. In that case finishing it using your current methods would only be setting bad habits into concrete.

Here’s a test to see which it is. Look at these articles. If, as you read, you find yourself saying, “Yeah, I do that,” then continue writing. If you find yourself saying, “Wow, this is all new stuff…”

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/scene.php
http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/scenes-and-sequels.html

I took a quick look at the work you have posted, and my opinion is that Peter Miller hit it right when he said, “There are far too many would-be works of fiction in which plot and character are not revealed, but explained.” It seems to me that too often a given scene is presented to hit a plot point, not because that’s what the character wants to do next.

My personal recommendation would be to acquire a bit more technique and then practice it on the story. Your mileage may differ, of course.

Is this a constructive response?
2
0
1 year, 11 months, 28 days ago

I haven't looked at what you have up here for review, so I have no idea what sort of issues you're talking about, so I'm just giving my opinion based on your Q here.

IMO, if correcting those issues is going to fundamentally change the story - meaning they extensively or radically change the goals of the protagonist, the conflict, or the resolution - then make the changes before you continue. Otherwise, the rest of your work on the first draft will be wasted, since it will have to be changed.

Also, if you lack a skill necessary to effectively complete the first draft, so that the majority of the rest of the draft would have to be changed, then learn that skill first, make the changes necessary to the first part, then continue on. Otherwise, the rest of the work you do now will be wasted since it will be changed.
Is this a constructive response?
1
0
1 year, 11 months, 27 days ago

Based on my own experience, the one point I'd make is to be sure you see how all of the "fundamentals" have changed before beginning a rewrite. IOW, if you feel the story is continuing to evolve as you write, I would wait for the whole of the story to become clear before going back to rewrite the beginning. Otherwise you may find yourself having to start all over for a 3rd time or more as your first revision reveals further substantive changes. I just started working on the second draft of a novel, having written a first draft of everything except the final chapter--or coda--in which any loose ends get wrapped up. By now I can really see the whole story in my mind so a 2nd revision should be sufficient for me to get the novel to the point where it is ready for peer review and, hopefully soon thereafter, submission to a publisher or agent.

Hope that helps. :)
Is this a constructive response?
1
0
1 year, 11 months, 26 days ago

I used to write an entire first draft before going back to rewrite and revise. I've since changed my approach and now start to rewrite as soon as I realize something just isn't working. I'm an obsessive re-reader and so rewriting just made more sense since I would reread the beginning and it just wouldn't make any sense with what I had written towards the middle and end.

This approach works for me because I'm not an outliner. I make it up as I go along. But I could see how doing a complete write first before doing rewrites would work well for someone who outlines their story completely before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).
Is this a constructive response?
1
0
1 year, 8 months, 24 days ago

I'm struggling with this right now, myself. Bill's comment about having to start all over for a third time is exactly where I am -- I've already rewritten the first six chapters to change the timeline, and now I'm faced with going back over those same chapters to make another significant change. The option I'm considering is sort of a mix of what's been discussed. I'm thinking of making a note in the document and moving forward from this point with the new change in place, then going back and editing those first chapters later. Thoughts?
Is this a constructive response?
0
0
Showing 1 to 6 of 6 comments

Report Abuse

Please choose the reason that best describes your concern. If you feel any content infringes your copyright, please refer to our General Terms of Use for information on copyright infringement and takedown procedures.

Discussion Tips

  • Search discussions before posting. Your question may already have been answered.
  • Ask specific questions when starting a new discussion.
  • Stay on topic.
  • No spam.
  • No flame wars or personal attacks.
  • For more information on about Book Country Discussions, please see our Community Guidelines.
Close
tooltip
Close

RSS Subscriptions

Book Country provides an RSS feed for those who like to read our Industry content in an RSS Aggregator.

Choose from the options below:

Close

Ignore

Are you sure you want to ignore this request or recommendation? It will be removed from your shelf.

Close

Are you sure you want to block this person?

You will no longer receive Connection Requests from this person, and they will not know that you have blocked them. You can unblock this person at any time in your account.

is now blocked.
You can manage your blocked people in your account.

Close

Block User

Are you sure you want to block this person?

This member is now blocked.
You can manage your blocked people in your profile.

Close

Disconnect

You will no longer be able to view this user’s Connections, read their complete books, or make Recommendations to them.

The user will not receive notification that you have Disconnected, but they will probably figure it out later. You can also stay in touch more casually by Following this person instead.

You are now Disconnected from this member.

Close

Accept Connection Request

Are you sure you want to Connect with this person?

By accepting this Connection Request, you will be allowing this member to read all the fiction you've posted, view your Connections, and the books, people, discussions, and topics you are Following. You can also receive Recommendations from your Connections and make Recommendations to them.

If you'd rather receive more casual updates on this person's activity, choose to Follow this person instead.

Close

Request to Connect

You must be signed in to Connect to this person.

Please sign in or join now if you want to Connect with this person.

 Connection Request pending

Your request has been sent to the member.

OK
Recommend to a Connection

Recommend: [Author]

Sign In to Your Account
Recommend to a Connection

Done! You have recommended [Author] to [recipient].

Badges

Book Country Badges are awarded for community activity and accomplishments. You can earn badges for positive contributions to the site, such as writing a highly rated book, or contributing many reviews and discussions.

Each badge comes in bronze, silver, and gold. You’ll start with bronze, and then earn silver and gold as your activity grows. There are also versions of each badge at the genre level, master genre level (i.e., SF, Romance, etc.), and for all of Book Country. Our staff is always working hard to ensure fairness and good karma. The more you participate, the more rewards you’ll receive.

What are Preferred Genres?

Preferred Genres help you track your interests and Connect with similar members. You can select as many genres as you like.

The Top Books and Top People in your Preferred Genres will automatically appear on your home page, updating every two weeks.

How do Recommendations work?

Recommendations make it easy to share interesting content with other Book Country members. You can recommend a book, discussion, person, or article to your Connections, and they can make Recommendations to you.

Recommendations appear in your notifications bar.

What are Connections?

Connections are your friends and colleagues on Book Country who you have allowed additional access to your work. Accepting a Connection request lets that member read all of the fiction you’ve posted (there is no word limit). Connections can also view who you are Connected to, as well as the books, People, Discussions, and Industry Topics you are Following. You can also receive Recommendations from your Connections and make Recommendations to them.

To add a new Connection, send a Request to Connect. The member to whom you would like to Connect must accept your request to make it official.

What is Following?

Following is a way to casually keep in touch with a person on Book Country. By Following a person, you will receive updates on their public activities on the site, such as uploading a new book or responding to a discussion. People you Follow can’t see your Connections, make Recommendations to you, or see that you are Following them.

What are Private Books?

Private books cannot be read by site visitors or community members. Private books do not appear on the Genre Map or in searches. Some writers may choose to temporarily make a book private during revisions or while meeting with agents and publishers.

You can repost a private book to make it visible again. All comments and ratings will be saved.

What are Deleted Books?

Writers can Delete their books at any time, for any reason. On rare occasions, the Book Country staff may Delete a book for copyright violations. Deleted books are completely removed from Book Country, along with all comments and reviews. Deleted books cannot be recovered.

What are Locked Discussions?

Locked Discussions are discussions that can still be read but cannot accept new responses. Discussions can only be locked by a Book Country administrator.

Peer Reviews

As a community for writers and readers, we want our members to receive thoughtful and constructive feedback on their work. Book Country Peer Reviews are designed to help writers improve in their chosen craft.

You must be a member to rate and review. Members can review a book once per draft.

Each review has several sections:

Overall Impressions

Share your general thoughts on the book. Did the writer categorize the book accurately on the Genre Map? Were you engaged by the material? What really worked and what needs work? Comment on whatever else you like.

Feedback Criteria

When uploading a book, writers can select two areas on which they’d like guidance. Provide more detailed feedback based on these criteria.

Star Ratings

Give each section a star rating from 1 to 5. This will help us determine how the book compares to others in the community. Your must rate each section to save your review. But remember, star ratings are not just a scale of bad to good; it’s also a scale from rough draft to polished manuscript.

Saving Your Review

It’s easy to work on your review over a period of time with our “Save for Later” feature. Please be aware, though, that if you have a review saved and the writer of the book changes his/her feedback criteria, the feedback that you’ve inputted for any old criteria will be automatically removed. Additionally, if the writer uploads a new draft of the book, your review will be lost. So don’t sit on it too long!

Reviewing Published Books

When writing your review of a published  book, please bear in mind that the author is not longer revising the project. For example, you may want to write your review as if you are giving your opinion to other potential readers.

Close
Request to Connect

Heads up! By Connecting with this person, you are allowing this user to view your other Connections, see who you’re Following, and read your complete books. You can also receive Recommendations from your Connections, and make Recommendations to them.

The other user must accept your Request to make the Connection official.

Your request has been sent to the member

[and will be active for 30 days].

OK
Recommend to a Connection

Done! You have sent a recommendation to .

Loading
Close
How to Use the Book Country Reader
Use the right and left arrows to move forward or backward through the book you’re reading.

You can also use the tabs at the bottom of the Reader to customize your reading experience. Use the tab on the far left to pop open the Table of Contents. The remaining tabs—from left to right—allow you to perform searches with the text, increase the font size, and change the font type from Serif to San Serif. The bar at the bottom of the page lets you see how far you are in the book; you can also use the slider to move backward and forward through the text.

And lastly, if you’re a Book Country member and are logged in, the Peer Review fields will open up next to the text of the book; you can use it to take notes as you read and save them for later when you want to write your Peer Review.
  • Click the left arrow to view the previous page.

  • Click the right arrow to view the next page.

  • Write a review of the book.
     

  • Use page tools to customize your experience and jump to sections of the book.

Close
Table of Contents
Bookmarks
Sign-in to the right or Join Now to add a bookmark.
Search
lorem...
Change Type Size
Aa Aa Aa
Change Type Face
Close
Upload Your Book
Start by entering the title of your new book.
Please enter a title for your book
Oops, I'm not uploading a new book, I want to modify a book I previously uploaded.
Close
Sign out

Are you sure you want to sign out?

It's Easy to Share Your Book

book
Your New Book
  • Get started!

    It's easy! Upload chapters at your own pace or your entire book if it's ready. Make changes any time you like.

  • Support your peers

    Everyone contributes at Book Country. After you provide three peer reviews, you can share your work with the community.

  • Get feedback

    Book Country is a supportive community of fiction writers and readers who offer constructive feedback to help you improve your craft.

  • Your big break

    Our members include published authors and industry professionals. You never know who might discover your work.

Close
Remove your comment

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?

Close
Delete your discussion

Are you sure you want to delete this discussion?