At the end of each major draft, I leave time to quickly read through my entire MS, all at once, or as close to it as I can manage.
I skim quickly, reading as fast as I possibly can. My internal editor has been told that the draft is complete, and she's already out on the Lanai deck sipping Blue Hawaiians. I'm reading for voice, throwing in a few for-fun phrases along the way. I'm reading for plot inconsistencies, chapter after chapter blurring quickly together. I'm reading for typos and literary speed bumps that knock you out of the rhythm of the read.
But mostly I read to fall in love with my story again.
See, by the time I've wrenched through an entire draft, I'm ready to strangle my story, or possibly poison it to death with a slow-release toxin. I'm convinced that it's wretched garbage that should be thrown out, not foisted upon my lovely beta readers.
So I read it through quickly so I can fall in love with the story once more. I let myself be absorbed in that heady rush of emotion that entranced me in the first place.
What do you do at the end of a draft?
Marvelous post, Sue! I began practicing the quickie post-draft read near the end of my last project and found it really, really valuable.
ReplyDeleteThe temptation, of course, is to dive in to the next revision and fix all that stuff I know needs fixing. But taking a step back and reading through helps me get a better idea, and may even change my mind, about what needs fixing.
And I like the idea of falling in love again. Sure I love my story, but do I love the novel it gave birth to? Especially when I've spent the last four weeks hacking it to pieces and stitching it up again.
@Rebecca I'm glad I'm not the only one that does this! And you are right about the read-through maybe changing your mind about what you thought was still "wrong" with the story. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I could do this. But I have to let my ms sit for a while. Otherwise, I just skip over sections that I've already read many times, thinking I know what happens there.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Susan! All that work and worry - sometimes we need to just sit back and enjoy.
ReplyDelete@Andrea Yes, there are some times when you have to take a break. For sure.
ReplyDelete@Jonene As Rebecca says, sometimes that "ugly" bit can look a lot better in the context of the whole - in fact, may need to be exactly what it is. And if we're not enjoying it at some level, what's the point? :)
What a great idea. I usually do the opposite and avoid my manuscript like it has some horrible disease. Then when I don't think it's contagious anymore I wade back into another revision. I like the idea of falling in love again. Thanks! :)
ReplyDelete@Leisha I know what you mean about avoiding the MS - somehow being in love with it again let's me let go of it for a while.
ReplyDelete@Susan, I am going to do this from now on. :)
ReplyDeleteAh, good advice! The quick-read through to fall back in love with the story. I can already see "big picture" advantages with this! Esp. identifying which scenes really stand out and shine. So later you can go back and analyze them to see what you did that made them work.
ReplyDelete@Leisha Yay! :)
ReplyDelete@Margo I like that idea, analyzing your own work to see what works! Nice. :)
I like this a lot. Clicked through from your response to Laura's post. I frequently notice whether my head is in the right space to read my manuscript or not, but I like this idea of reading my own words to be wowed. That makes a ton of sense to me. I am gonna try it when I am ready! Thanks.
ReplyDelete@Tina Cool! I hope that it helps! :)
ReplyDelete