Ryan posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page:
How long does the editing stage take?
Randy sez: That depends on a lot of things. There tend to be two schools of thought on editing:
- Writing is rewriting. Everything you wrote in the first draft is crap and will need to be completely redone, so ultimately, you will edit the life out of that sucker. No time will be wasted on preparation; writing the first draft will be quick; it will take a long time to edit. Deal with that.
- Writing is writing and editing is polishing. You think it out in advance, then write the book the way you want it on the first draft, then polish it up a bit and away you go. Preparation will take a long time; writing the first draft will go quickly; editing will be over in an eyeblink.
These are, of course, extreme cases, and there are some writers in the middle, but it’s remarkable just how many working authors are near one of the two extremes.
People in the “writing is rewriting” school generally don’t do a lot of planning up front for their novel (although some of them do). Instead, they get the first draft written any way they can, assuming that it’s going to be awful, and then the REAL writing gets rolling with the second draft. Which will still be awful, just not so awful, so the real, REAL writing happens on the third draft. Which will also be pretty bad, but better than #2. This goes on sometimes for 10 or 15 or 20 or 30 drafts. For this school of thought, editing can take a very long time.
People in the “writing is writing” school generally put a lot more planning into their novel. Then they write the first draft and it actually is pretty good. They let it cool off a bit, then read it, then polish it up. And then it’s ready to go. For this school of thought, editing can be incredibly short.
Which of these schools of thought is “better?” I don’t know how to answer that question. After talking with many, many novelists over the years about their creative processes, I’ve concluded that the best way for you to write a novel is whatever works best for you.
Many, many novelists write their first draft by the seat of their pants and then edit the heck out of it.
Many, many other novelists plan their novels carefully, either by writing several detailed outlines or by using my Snowflake method or using some other process.
You can write a good novel either way. You can, in fact, write a GREAT novel either way. Tragically, you can also write a horrifically awful novel either way. There just aren’t any guarantees in life.
Write your novel in whichever ways works best for you and don’t worry whether it takes a long time or a short time.
If you’ve got a question you’d like me to answer in public on this blog, hop on over to my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page and submit your question. I’ll answer them in the order they come in.
I never stop editing my work . . . in my head. And if I don’t make myself stop doing it on the ms. I would never finish anything.
One has to know when you have whittled your sentences down to the bone and then whittle no more. Over-re-writing can screw up perfection.
I used the snowflake method and Nanowrimo and wrote a decent first draft, 50K words, more a novella, in a month. It’s been four and a half years and I’m still rewriting from 2 to 6 hours a day pretty much seven days a week. I should be ready to send to 3 big name agents who have requested the first 50 pages in two more months.
I don’t know where my PhD in math from Berkeley friend found the data but she says statistically the average writer spends 4 years to write the first novel.
That was a big relief to hear. I thought there was something terribly terribly wrong with me. Naw. I’m normal.
When I started this gig, who knew? I sure didn’t. Despite 20 years as a technical writer and 10 years as a produced playwright, I had a gi-normous amount to learn about the craft of novel writing.
But here’s the REAL kicker. Being a great craft writer is not enough. I also had to make becoming the best storyteller I could be my absolute top priority. There’s a difference and a vital one. Gone are my wonderfully worded descriptions or great jokes. If it doesn’t serve the story, it’s toast.
Good insight, Andrea. Be even more encouraged. I think my first novel was seven years, give or take. And it was definitely my “practice novel,” though I didn’t realize it at the time.
Storytelling combined with great craft. There’s the ticket!
On editing a novel, I’m in the “writing is writing” camp. 18 months into my “first” draft, but as an untrained first-timer, I’m learning as I go, doing what seems to fit. Getting story line and scene ideas, writing them, going on to new ones, as I simultaneously rewrite/polish prior scenes. It feels haphazard. Suggestions (Randy and others) are appreciated. I figure I’m learning the process of writing at the same time I’m doing it.
Also wanted to comment on your E-Zine this month. Great ideas and information.
Head-hopping is something I had not heard of, so I’ve never considered writing that way. Seems natural to get inside the skin of one character and stay there for the scene.
Laughed heartily at your Different Day To Do List — while pondering THIS could really work for me. Think I’ll call it my Sneaky Weekly Pesky Icky List(y)!
Blessings, Randy. Thanks for good e-zine and blog articles, a FUNNY column, and most of all your time & love for this craft.