Kelly's Tips for Rewriting

Doodlings can help too.

Let's all pretend I have an iota of writing sense to be able to teach people what I know on the subject.  Today's topic is about 'rewriting' because that's what I've been doing lately with Archer, RE-writing it.  I was extremely hesitant to do so because, well honestly, I'd spent a year and a half just completing it.  I'm not really a fast writer, and I want to get it published as quickly as possible.  Plus, rewriting something is just tedious work.  All the same, it needed to be done.  Not all of it, mind you, mostly the beginning and some sparse scenes throughout.  Drawing from this experience, I have compiled a list of things that I hope can help others with rewriting.  Let's be honest, I just hoped for one take and to be over with it.  When I read articles of authors talking about their "second draft", I'd always cringe a little.  But perhaps some enlightenment on the approach can make the task a little more bearable and a little less daunting

*Make bullets.
And by this, I mean to compile a list of the bare necessities of what is needed to be expressed in scene x.  Whether the list is written or mental, it doesn't matter.  You just need a grasp of what you're trying to get across--why should these bits make it into the final cut?

Also, don't forget those one-liners you were so proud of.  They were great for a reason.  It's okay to cross reference with the original draft.  It can help keep your second draft on track.  Remember, the first draft is finished, and your second draft won't be finished if you veer off wildly into the abyss.

*Start fresh.
Add new details, different dialogue, and variant actions.  Sometimes, it's hard to do this when you have so much planned and set in stone.  While rewriting the beginning of Archer, I have changed a lot of introductions--the way a scene is approached, the way a character is introduced.  You can use this opportunity to create new characters or reintroduce/re-purpose your old ones.  For example, I had a character who originally did not show up until the end.  Second draft allowed a glimpse of him in the very beginning, which can help prove you know what you're doing and that you have plans for your characters.

Create new scenes.  My protagonist had to take exams to be accepted into magic school.  Originally, I skipped over the actual exams and her first impression of the school.  Next time around, I fleshed those details out. I also had to develop my world with physical details. Following that same train of thought, you can develop your characters by adding internal dialogue.  Some people may not have problems with going into detail, but after reviewing the comments from my editors, I have found that's where I suffered.

But the biggest problem with starting fresh in the rewriting process is reworking your fixed scenes, because that can be hard.  Here's some bullet points to help with that:

• Rethink your narrator.  Can they enter a scene differently?  At a different time?  Can they meet the other characters in a different fashion?  
• Perform osmosis with a dictionary.  Look for words you are unfamiliar with and challenge yourself to use one in rewriting a scene, write around the word, and either keep it or throw it away as the need fits.  The goal is to approach a scene differently.
• Translate your writing with an online translator. (I use Google Translate)  See how your writing translates into another language.  Sometimes, the translations offer synonyms or other such suggestions.  Use those to your advantage and let them inspire you to do some more writing to fit the needs of another language.

*Transition.
Look at the order of your scenes and see if they can be logically switched around.  By doing so, obviously, observation details and introductions will have to be rearranged.  Is it possible?  Schedule characters to enter a different time.  It may work better for your story.

*Foreshadow.
By the time you rewrite your second draft, it should go without saying that you've already written the first one.  You've finished; you know, for certain, what happens (because we all know that stories can change on you while in the writing process).  So by the time you rewrite, you can sprinkle some seemingly throwaway details that will later allow your reader to go, "Oh!" when they fit the puzzle pieces together.  Foreshadowing makes you a better writer and readers appreciate that.

*Emulate the masters.
Of course, the best way to perfect writing or rewriting is to read the works of successful authors.  They made it for a reason; so research that reason.  Analyze how they approach a scene, introduce a character, express sensory or internal details.  Don't copy or plagiarize, obviously, but let it inspire you.