tadhg.com » novel http://tadhg.com/wp Wherein some things Tadhg are discussed Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:19:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Some Notes on Editing the Second Draft http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/10/some-notes-on-editing-the-second-draft/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/10/some-notes-on-editing-the-second-draft/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:46:49 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/10/some-notes-on-editing-the-second-draft/ I finished the second draft nine days behind schedule, which in the overall scheme of things isn’t that bad a slip. It turned out to be extremely difficult to maintain a steady approach to the editing, unlike either the micronovel version or the first 35 episodes of AFBH, two projects of similar duration that I completed successfully (and on time) last year.

AFBH was a similar commitment in terms of time-per-day. What made that easier in comparison to the editing was that it was extremely predictable: doing it consisted of watching the episode, reading the appropriate section of the book, taking notes, and writing up each well-defined section.

The editing, however, varied from session to session, so that some days I had to cut heavily (at about a five-to-one ratio), other days I had to significantly fatten sections that I had merely sketched out, and sometimes I had to write entirely new material. Switching between those things was quite difficult. Most difficult of all was writing new material that I hadn’t planned out. Despite having worked on the thing for so long, significant chunks remained unplanned, and doing the task of working things into the plot while trying to stick to the daily routine was extremely tough for me.

I finally got unstuck with the remaining parts of the last two chapters when I divided them into five-hundred word chunks and came up with what each chunk should contain. That sounds obvious, but writing isn’t always like that for me, and often flows without that kind of planning. I might not need that kind of detailed plan all the time, but I apparently do need it to fall back on when struggling.

I’m not going to touch that novel for quite some time. Editing it was quite a stressful experience, and I need to let it go for a while. Going over deadline, and struggling to finish it while failing to do so, was not a pleasant experience.

I did find the daily public status reports to be a useful motivational tool. I really, really hated writing that I hadn’t made any progress, and so would often be forced by that to work on the editing, which tended to get easier once I started it. It didn’t always get easier, however, which accounts for a number of those “no progress” updates. The downside is the same as the upside—I couldn’t stand writing those posts stating that I didn’t make any progress. On the days where, for whatever reason, I knew I simply wouldn’t be able to get editing done, it was very unpleasant to put out an update.

Those updates probably shouldn’t be entire posts on the main page of my site, either. Thanks to my readers, as usual, and to everyone who gave me encouragement.

I’m extremely happy to have finished that second draft. Happy and relieved, and optimistic about future projects.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/10/some-notes-on-editing-the-second-draft/feed/ 1 SF Novel Second Draft Done http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/09/sf-novel-second-draft-done/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/09/sf-novel-second-draft-done/#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 07:48:41 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/08/sf-novel-second-draft-done/ Yes, done

It’s been quite a struggle. that’s not too surprising, given that I’ve been wrestling with this draft for almost five years, the novel for almost six.

And now the second draft is done, and I’m going to leave it alone for a long time.

The truth is taht I’m not that happy with it. I knew that I wouldn’t be that happy with it when I started this latest attempt to get the second draft done. I found the editing extremely hard, and I also just didn’t feel that I knew how to solve a number of deep problems with the novel. I still don’t.

I suspect that people who read it are going to say, “You spent five years on this?” I imagine that after that, they’ll pointedly say, “Dostoevsky wrote The Gambler in three weeks, you know.”

But it’s done. The first draft was unreadable, a colossal mess of almost 200,000 words. This version, while it might be a bad novel, at least passes as something that counts as a novel. So now I have a screenplay I’m proud of, a bad novel, and a number of short stories (some of them good) under my belt.

The next novel (which I intend to start early next year) will be better.

I appear to have lost seventy-four words along the way somewhere, but given the late-night nature of a lot of my posts, that might be an addition problem rather than being actually short in the word count.

Word count: 79926

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/09/sf-novel-second-draft-done/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C14 Stalled Once More http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/08/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled-once-more/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/08/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled-once-more/#comments Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:47:56 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/08/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled-once-more/ Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/08/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled-once-more/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C14 Still Stalled http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/07/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-still-stalled/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/07/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-still-stalled/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:55:37 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/07/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-still-stalled/ I’ll do my best to finish over the next two days.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/07/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-still-stalled/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C14 Stalled http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/06/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/06/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled/#comments Fri, 07 Dec 2007 07:55:31 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/06/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled/ No progress. I’m stalled again. It’s unbelievabley frustrating to be stalled so close to the end. Hopefully I’ll get over it soon. One long burst of activity would finish the damn thing.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/06/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-stalled/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C14 In Progress http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/05/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-in-progress/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/05/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-in-progress/#comments Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:53:24 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/05/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-in-progress/ Little progress tonight, despite the word count. The chasm between “writing” and “not writing” as states feels like it’s widening, making it harder to go from one ot the other. It was like that at the start, and when I got stalled in the middle. I have to assume that will is what it takes to flip the switch, but an inadequate explanation of the concept of will has always undermined the usefulness of that assumption.
Word count: 72034

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/05/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c14-in-progress/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C13 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/04/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/04/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:51:20 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/04/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13/ Paraphrased from an episode of The Wire I watched earlier (when I should have been editing): “Make your number, or die in this room.” For tonight, at least, I made my number.
Word count: 69259

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/04/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C13 Not Yet Done http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13-not-yet-done/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13-not-yet-done/#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2007 07:58:49 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13-not-yet-done/ Thirteen doesn’t appear to be lucky today. Not that much to do, but it’s currently beyond me.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c13-not-yet-done/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C12 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c12/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c12/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:12:03 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c12/ I think I can see the finish line.
Word count: 63926

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/03/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c12/feed/ 0 Second Draft Not Quite There http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/second-draft-not-quite-there/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/second-draft-not-quite-there/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:58:29 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/second-draft-not-quite-there/ Obviously, I didn’t finish the second draft in November. I didn’t manage it by the end of this weekend, either. I’m close. Very close, probably about six thousand words of writing away, which isn’t too bad given the target of eighty thousand.

I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish it today (or Friday, but an extra weekend wasn’t too bad). I’ll try to finish it tomorrow, but it looks unlikely, unless I get some serious inspiration for what those six thousand words should be… the end of the first draft is a little more sparse than I had thought. I need about an extra thousand words for Chapter Thirteen, and an extra two-and-a-half thousand each for Fourteen and Fifteen. Certainly doable, but not tonight.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/second-draft-not-quite-there/feed/ 1 SF Novel Second Draft Update C11 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c11/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c11/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:29:41 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c11/ Four to go.
Word count: 58594

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/02/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c11/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C10 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/01/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/01/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10/#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:59:08 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/01/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10/ Done. Five to go.
Word count: 53262

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/12/01/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C10 Delayed Again http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/30/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed-again/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/30/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed-again/#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:57:23 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/30/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed-again/ Another long day. So I fail to hit my target of the end of the month, but I’m still going to aim for the end of the weekend. Finishing the second draft only two days behind schedule would still make me rather happy.

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/30/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed-again/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C10 Delayed http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/29/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/29/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed/#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:59:00 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/29/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed/ Long, long day at work today. So I didn’t have the chance to edit. I did look over the chapters, and it looks tough to get six done tomorrow… Chapter 10 itself doesn’t look too bad, I think it’ll be easy to cut down. Chapter 11 will probably be harder. Chapter 12 might well be the toughest left, because the current material for it is extremely sparse. I think 13 and 14 will be easier, and then 15, because it’s the end, will probably be hard (although I do not plan any major changes to the ending at this point).

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/29/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c10-delayed/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C9 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/28/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/28/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:58:14 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/28/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9/ That was difficult. And now I have six chapters to do in two days. That looks both very tough and quite achievable.
Word count: 47930

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/28/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C9 Halfway There http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/27/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9-halfway-there/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/27/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9-halfway-there/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:58:24 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/27/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9-halfway-there/ The chapters from my first draft are extremely uneven in terms of length (and in other ways, too). Going through them and trying to make them more uniform requires switching between doing a lot of cutting and doing a lot of new writing, more of the latter than I had expected. So I’m still far away, but I haven’t given up hope of getting there before Saturday.
Word count: 45630

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]]> http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/27/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c9-halfway-there/feed/ 0 SF Novel Second Draft Update C8 http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/26/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c8/ http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/26/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c8/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:56:23 +0000 Tadhg http://tadhg.com/wp/2007/11/26/sf-novel-second-draft-update-c8/ That took a lot longer than I’d hoped. Finally past the halfway point. With four days left in the month, I have seven chapters to go. I might need some of this weekend to do it.
Word count: 42598

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