I fucking hate the second draft

[erise]

You know that feeling of having a story finished? You reach the last word and think "There. It's done." It's yummy, isn't it?

Then you know that feeling of reading it, or having someone else read it, only to discover piece after piece of things you want to change. A sentence there, a paragraph there, a description that doesn't quite fit the style of the rest of the text, or even a sequencing problem to sort out.

It takes all, and I really mean all, the juice out of me. Doing the second draft of prose is killing me, a round of editing that is not about tweaking for style and wit, (that's the third draft) but just correcting dumb logic errors. Not spelling and grammar, that's mechanic and tedious, but you're not messing with the content. When editing the big stuff that first time, you really have to think to yourself "Did I really think that awful sentence was good when I wrote it? What the hell is wrong with me?"

Grrr.

 

[rgraham666]

Oi! Chill erise.

We all get it wrong the first time. The first time around we're too busy being creative to right gud.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Have a *HUG*.

 

[erise]

Oi! Chill erise.

We all get it wrong the first time. The first time around we're too busy being creative to right gud.

Right. But does that mean I have to like it? Let me pout if I wanna.


Hugs are nice, though.



Ok, serious question then: How much ambition do you people pour into those stories of yours? Do you fret over every little detail, aiming for literary greatness? Or do you settle with "good enough to publish on the net"?

Do the readers here care about the extra 5% of quality that costs you 50% of extra sweat and hair-pulling?

 

[rgraham666]

Right. But does that mean I have to like it? Let me pout if I wanna.


Hugs are nice, though.



Ok, serious question then: How much ambition do you people pour into those stories of yours? Do you fret over every little detail, aiming for literary greatness? Or do you settle with "good enough to publish on the net"?

Do the readers here care about the extra 5% of quality that costs you 50% of extra sweat and hair-pulling?

I don't pour ambition, but a fair bit of effort. I'm not concerned with literary greatness. That's for posterity to decide, if she remembers me at all.

I do worry about telling the best story I can. I worry about whether I get the emotions right, the characters the way I want and the story going where I mean it to.

It seems to have worked, so far.

 

[elsol]

*burp*

After a while, it gets easier.

Or at least KNOWING the second draft is there; let's you really let it all hang out in the first draft.

Sincerely,
ElSol

 

[cantdog]

It is deflating. But godawful important. People who don't do that write really flawed shit. Painful. And at first, even if you do that it's flawed and painful. I only have to revisit my first Lit story to see that. Ick.

Greatness? No. I aspire to grab 'em, push their noses in it, and make 'em dig it.

 

[erise]

Greatness? No. I aspire to grab 'em, push their noses in it, and make 'em dig it.

I like your attitude.

 

[gauchecritic]

When it comes to editing I'm in a cleft stick.

I edit as I type because I can't bear seeing those convoluted phrases or too often repeated words. I have to change them as soon as I spot them (which is as soon as I've written them usually, or when I sit down again to type and read where I am up to.

The fact that this means slightly less editing on completion doesn't help when it's keeping me from moving on to the really good bit that I just thought of which I can add later on.

So I go to the top of the page and add notes which, if left for too long are either forgotten about altogether or are indecipherable.

Things like "Meets a brown dog" or "pockets small change". What the hell is that about? This is a story about a cross dressing coalminer coming to terms with his burgeoning sexuality. Why does he meet a brown dog?

The worst thing about fly editing is only getting about a page an hour if I'm lucky.

The second worst thing is that once I write 'the end' I just have to post it. Can't be patient and leave it a week then look and see how many spelling errors there are or the fact that I've left out the main characters name, no, I have to post it and then see all the glaring idiocies as soon as it's in the new list.

 

[sophia jane]

I'm not all that fond of the second draft either, but that's why I have an awesome editor. For some reason, having someone else edit with me takes alot of the sting out of it. Except for the story when the second draft required me to change the POV of half the story- I hated my editor during that go around. But it was worth it, cuz it's one of my best stories.

SJ

 

[fieryjen]

When it comes to editing I'm in a cleft stick.

I edit as I type because I can't bear seeing those convoluted phrases or too often repeated words. I have to change them as soon as I spot them (which is as soon as I've written them usually, or when I sit down again to type and read where I am up to.

The fact that this means slightly less editing on completion doesn't help when it's keeping me from moving on to the really good bit that I just thought of which I can add later on.

So I go to the top of the page and add notes which, if left for too long are either forgotten about altogether or are indecipherable.

Things like "Meets a brown dog" or "pockets small change". What the hell is that about? This is a story about a cross dressing coalminer coming to terms with his burgeoning sexuality. Why does he meet a brown dog?

The worst thing about fly editing is only getting about a page an hour if I'm lucky.

The second worst thing is that once I write 'the end' I just have to post it. Can't be patient and leave it a week then look and see how many spelling errors there are or the fact that I've left out the main characters name, no, I have to post it and then see all the glaring idiocies as soon as it's in the new list.

I do the Exact. Same. Thing!

I thought I was the only person in the world who writes this slowly and edits on the way. I hate it, but I can't seem to help it. It's a major pain to get a longer story done this way. I brood over every sentence for minutes at a time, will probably delete half of it and change a few words as well. Then I'll decide how I like it and move on to the next. Takes forever.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I would LOVE the second draft if I didn't know that its sisters and brothers and uncles and aunts and cousins by the dozens would be following on its heels.


I start out trying to write something that might make somebody laugh.

Before I can get it fit to show, it will make me gibber.

 

[Liar]

I don't do no second draft. Maybe I should, but I'm too axious to head straight for the veneer.