It’s amazing how different my book is from when it started. Out of 108,000 words only 38,000 words are still the same as my rough draft! (That's a lot of rewriting!)I saved every version of my book, including my rough draft. It was worth it, not just to compare them, but because it's hilarious reading it now. They say rough drafts are meant to be crap, yup mine was.
I still have a three page to-do list, but (I think) I'm finally done with major rewrites. (I like to-do lists, it makes me feel like I've really accomplished something when I get to check it off.)
From what I've read it takes everyone a different length of time to write their first novel, from a few months to a few years. My goal was to get mine done in a year, but that's not going to happen. (Since that would be next month.) So, I’m shooting for the date I finished writing, the end of July. I want it to be as good as I can make it, but I know I have to eventually stop editing.
How long did it take you to write and edit your first novel?
It's hard for me to pick out a first novel. I have some completed works that I keep thinking I should do something with, but just never get around to. Yet the first story that really captured me and made me want to finish it is going to be 15 years old in April! It's gone through so many drafts and changes as I've tried to figure out the best way to tell the story. Still working on that 15 years later! I, too, keep every draft and it is fun to look at, especially after I've matured a few years and look back at what my 12 year old self wrote. Truly hilarious! Good luck finishing your novel!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll eventually get it done. This was my first full length novel that I actually stuck with until the end. All of my other stories through the years aren't complete, just random scenes, or beginnings. (I'm an ADHD writer, too many ideas!)
ReplyDeleteI've been looking back at the stories I wrote as a little kid, some of them weren't too bad really. (Except the spelling was atrocious.) I actually borrowed an idea from one last week. It was weird, because I didn't remember writing it, so it felt like I was plagiarizing myself.
I wish you luck with your book! I hope you get it so that you're happy with it. I know how hard it is when you want to get it just right.