Wednesday, April 05, 2006
A peek into the processDave's been asking me to read Dirty for awhile, and I wasn't sure I had a printed copy to give him. Since the book's about 400 manuscript pages, I didn't want to have to print out a new copy, but last night I found the binder where I kept the one I already had.
This is what I do when I'm writing. I write, usually on my Alfie. I print as I write, each section. In the event of a computer crash, I'd at least have the printout. I put the pages in a three ring binder. Then, when it's time to edit, I already have a printed copy to work from.
Usually it's printed on the backs of other things. Sometimes in single, sometimes double spacing. Different sizes of fonts, different paper. It's a hodge-podge. But in the end, I have a printed copy to edit.
What I do if I need to "cut and paste" is tear the papers or rearrange the order. I also, using a colored pen, go through and make my corrections. At the end of this process, I not only have all the additional comments and fixed up things, but also pieces of the story that were out of place when written are no in place.
So I go back to the computer and input all those edits. This is a tedious, long, long process. Which I dislike. A lot. I love the editing part -- just not the inputting.
Then I print it all again. Go through it again. Then back to the computer to add the additional material.
What's interesting is viewing the differences between the first, rough draft printed copy and the second draft printed copy. I put them in the same binder. I save them all. Why? Oh, who knows. Maybe they'll be worth something. :)
What I found about Dirty was this:
The first version had nothing in it about Gavin, the teenage neighbor. The brother, Chad, was barely mentioned until toward the very end when he suddenly appeared like he'd been there all along, because when writing it, by the end I knew I was going to add him in.
So it's like Dirty was two different books. One about Elle and Dan. One about Elle and Gavin and Chad. And I just worked them together to become one! Which is how it ended up.
Something similar is happening with Cheater, aka Precious and Fragile Things...all of a sudden, three quarters of the way to the end, Katie the friend shows up.
Of course she needs to be there in the beginning, too. :) She'll get there in the edits.
--M
