When revising, it always amazes me...
... how much I can cut. When writing the story, I invariably include far more extraneous detail than is needed to keep things moving. Some people go overboard on description, and I am certainly guilty of that, but my worse crime is the running commentary. He did this, then he walked to the door and looked out, then he lit a cigarette, then ....you get the drift. It's so satisfying to prune out all that stuff and home in on the pivotal moments.
... how easily I got bogged down and blown off course. Part of it is covering all the bases, of course. But one thing that becomes clear at this stage is where I have wandered off the plot and into some expository Neverland of irrelevant backstory and subplot blind alleys. I blame the characters. If only they'd stick to the script...
...how little plot you actually need. You do need some plot of course, but only enough to give the scene meaning and purpose. After that you don't need to think about it, just concentrate on the characters.
...how depressingly bad my writing can be. But hey, cheer up! I'm going to fix it, right?
But at least I haven't done this ...yet.
1 comment:
Oh yeh!! Know what you mean, Sandra, about editing! Tedious and depressing isn't it? Until you see the finished thing and realise how much better it is for the pruning! Love the video - made me howl with laughter!
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