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| Photo credit? Ars Electronica on Flickr |
The last manuscript I had interviewed before MS 10 had a first project has somewhere around 40,000 words. In what is being the most polished state, it is now sitting pretty with about 86,000 words.
Here's the thing I find interesting, often when the authors speak of the review, they mourn the loss of tens of thousands of hyphenated words, and deleted scenes and whole sections scrapped and rewritten. And while I certainly made my share cutting and rewriting, I find that most of the time, my biggest problem is not cutting it is adding.
As many of you who read my blog before you know, I'm a fast writer. And while I certainly imagine there quick editors out there who have to make significant cuts in their manuscripts, I found that my first drafts tend to come really skinny. I get the gist of the story down basic character, the main plot and subplots, tiny pieces of setting, etc. It is not until I start the review I'm really into the nuances of the story in-between things that take my manuscript from waste to a fully fleshed book.
Now, there are certainly exceptions, I have a MS which clocked about 0 000 words someodd that needs cutting and major addition (mostly much so that I cut can adapt to this kind of things to add), but basically, I find that my reviews are primarily incorporated layers on layers of additions.
This is my process now I want to hear from you. Writers, when you change, do you tend to cut or add?
Twitter bite size:
Your first projects tend to come in lean or premium for the cup? Join the discussion on the blog @ Ava_Jae. (Click for tweeter)
Writers, do you tend to cut or add when editing? Join the discussion on the blog @ Ava_Jae. (Click for tweeter)
