Half Empty or Half Full - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T15:26:06Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/half-empty-or-half-full?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A224295&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Dana,
Raymond's approach…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-03-07:537324:Comment:2293082010-03-07T19:07:57.390ZStacyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StacyDeanne
Hi Dana,<br />
<br />
Raymond's approach might get sticky in my opinion. What happens if everything you circled and kept, didn't fit in at all with your rewrites. It would stick out like a root. Also, you might not need to rewrite everything from scratch, LOL. Say everything you rewrote and changed was good and everything you circled was the crap you should have thrown out, LOL. Wow, that's an interesting concept I guess. They say writers all have different ways of editing.<br />
<br />
Me, I'm one of those who edit…
Hi Dana,<br />
<br />
Raymond's approach might get sticky in my opinion. What happens if everything you circled and kept, didn't fit in at all with your rewrites. It would stick out like a root. Also, you might not need to rewrite everything from scratch, LOL. Say everything you rewrote and changed was good and everything you circled was the crap you should have thrown out, LOL. Wow, that's an interesting concept I guess. They say writers all have different ways of editing.<br />
<br />
Me, I'm one of those who edit while I am still writing the book. When I take a break from the actual writing, I go back and work on what I've previously written until ideas come back in for me to continue the story. I find it better than just sitting there with a block. Sometimes I get small blocks during my stories and editing helps me out of those blocks so I am all for editing and writing at the same time.<br />
<br />
I used to write the whole thing then go back and edit/rewrite all at once. Thought I was doing a good job until I realized that wasn't a good way for me. It might work for someone else but I need to edit/rewrite in spurts.<br />
<br />
Also, Raymond's way would be like writing the whole darn book over wouldn't? LOL!<br />
<br />
Best Wishes!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stacy-deanne.net" target="_blank">http://www.stacy-deanne.net</a> That's actually really a good…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-25:537324:Comment:2253462010-01-25T03:06:38.535Zdoug andersonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/douganderson
That's actually really a good idea. It's the writing, after all.
That's actually really a good idea. It's the writing, after all. It's an interesting idea, but…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242982010-01-10T19:46:25.975ZJaden Terrellhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BethTerrell
It's an interesting idea, but I don't think I could do it. Every time I rewrite something from scratch, it becomes a whole new first--or at best, second--draft. I'd be taking two steps forward and two steps back. Or maybe it would be more like, "Yes, I'll keep this...and this...and this...oh, darn."
It's an interesting idea, but I don't think I could do it. Every time I rewrite something from scratch, it becomes a whole new first--or at best, second--draft. I'd be taking two steps forward and two steps back. Or maybe it would be more like, "Yes, I'll keep this...and this...and this...oh, darn." IJ,
Chandler used it for the…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242962010-01-10T19:46:07.387ZDana Kinghttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
IJ,<br />
Chandler used it for the entire book, down to the sentence level, I believe. Your point has merit for my situation. The more I think about it, the more I believe doing this for the whole book would be counterproductive. ("Down this path lies madness" might not be putting too fine a point on it.) Howver, when I find a chapter, scene, or paragraph that I can't seem to make work, it might be best to salvage what does work and recraft the whole section.<br />
<br />
That looks like the way I'm tending to…
IJ,<br />
Chandler used it for the entire book, down to the sentence level, I believe. Your point has merit for my situation. The more I think about it, the more I believe doing this for the whole book would be counterproductive. ("Down this path lies madness" might not be putting too fine a point on it.) Howver, when I find a chapter, scene, or paragraph that I can't seem to make work, it might be best to salvage what does work and recraft the whole section.<br />
<br />
That looks like the way I'm tending to go with this. BR,
Not to sound flip, but th…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242952010-01-10T19:43:50.892ZDana Kinghttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
BR,<br />
Not to sound flip, but the basket case comment hit home. I started wondering about the value of this approach shortly after I posted the question. Working the way he did--and I wondered about--would be incredibly frustrating for most people; Chandler was know for working quite slowly himself. This technique might have had something to do with both his lack of speed, and some of his personal issues (and plot holes).
BR,<br />
Not to sound flip, but the basket case comment hit home. I started wondering about the value of this approach shortly after I posted the question. Working the way he did--and I wondered about--would be incredibly frustrating for most people; Chandler was know for working quite slowly himself. This technique might have had something to do with both his lack of speed, and some of his personal issues (and plot holes). Eric,
I've seen that quote, b…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242942010-01-10T19:40:48.171ZDana Kinghttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
Eric,<br />
I've seen that quote, but I got the idea for the technique from an article I read a couple of years ago, by a writer who'd been given a look at Chandler's notes for THE LONG GOODBYE. There were several things in there about Chandler's manner of crafting his prose, including how he cut his sheets of paper in half before typing, so he was using 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 sheets, instead of 8 1/2 x 11. Part of this was to minimize how much retyping had to be done if he made a change on a page; another…
Eric,<br />
I've seen that quote, but I got the idea for the technique from an article I read a couple of years ago, by a writer who'd been given a look at Chandler's notes for THE LONG GOODBYE. There were several things in there about Chandler's manner of crafting his prose, including how he cut his sheets of paper in half before typing, so he was using 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 sheets, instead of 8 1/2 x 11. Part of this was to minimize how much retyping had to be done if he made a change on a page; another was because Chandler wanted there to be a felicitous turn of phrase at least that often. It all depends on how well yo…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242732010-01-10T15:21:37.194ZB.R.Statehamhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BRStateham
It all depends on how well you told the story the first time around. Some writers, the first draft is the strongest--for some its rewrite number 16. chandler's 'bridging' style, where you write a bridge to fit various pieces into one coherent story, sounds intriguing. But then, you'll begin to have doubts on how the bridges connect and flow.<br />
<br />
My advice: write the story--then hone and polish it like a jeweler does with a rough-cut diamond. The fun in writing is taking an image and making it…
It all depends on how well you told the story the first time around. Some writers, the first draft is the strongest--for some its rewrite number 16. chandler's 'bridging' style, where you write a bridge to fit various pieces into one coherent story, sounds intriguing. But then, you'll begin to have doubts on how the bridges connect and flow.<br />
<br />
My advice: write the story--then hone and polish it like a jeweler does with a rough-cut diamond. The fun in writing is taking an image and making it sharper. Cleaner. As much as I admire Chandler's writing, let's face it; the guy was a basket-case most of his life. I generally know when a scene…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242712010-01-10T15:07:28.398ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I generally know when a scene works. I take it we're talking of taking out whole scenes that don't work, not just sentences.<br />
Like others, I have to edit sentences constantly and many times, but then I don't work the way some authors do: by writing the whole first draft as quickly as possible and then going back to fix it. I work slowly, moving forward all the time, but after multiple revisions of each chapter. During that process, a scene that fails to make its impact can be fixed. On the other…
I generally know when a scene works. I take it we're talking of taking out whole scenes that don't work, not just sentences.<br />
Like others, I have to edit sentences constantly and many times, but then I don't work the way some authors do: by writing the whole first draft as quickly as possible and then going back to fix it. I work slowly, moving forward all the time, but after multiple revisions of each chapter. During that process, a scene that fails to make its impact can be fixed. On the other hand, if it turns out eventually that whole plot decisions were wrong -- and that usually happens very late -- then clearly those chapters will have to discarded and replaced. Great timing, Dana. I'm in th…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242642010-01-10T07:57:56.274ZminervaKhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/minervakoenig
Great timing, Dana. I'm in the middle of a third draft/re-write, which I'm calling that because I don't know which it really is. I'm re-writing some bits and editing some bits. I think I know what Chandler was getting at -- there seems to be a point at which it feels just too clunky to try and edit certain sections. I catch myself trying to save an entire scene for one line, when really what I need to do is cut the whole scene and Kill The Baby. On the other hand, some of the babies deserve to…
Great timing, Dana. I'm in the middle of a third draft/re-write, which I'm calling that because I don't know which it really is. I'm re-writing some bits and editing some bits. I think I know what Chandler was getting at -- there seems to be a point at which it feels just too clunky to try and edit certain sections. I catch myself trying to save an entire scene for one line, when really what I need to do is cut the whole scene and Kill The Baby. On the other hand, some of the babies deserve to live, and are unjustly slaughtered out of frustration. I'm curious how it turns out for you; keep us posted.. I couldn't do that, because t…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-01-10:537324:Comment:2242602010-01-10T03:38:41.010ZD.R. MacMasterhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DuncanRMacMaster
I couldn't do that, because the things I feel really hot about in the first draft, are always the stuff that comes across as hacky and hokey in future drafts.<br />
<br />
But that's just me.
I couldn't do that, because the things I feel really hot about in the first draft, are always the stuff that comes across as hacky and hokey in future drafts.<br />
<br />
But that's just me.