Are we noticing a trend? Maybe some hidden guilt on my part for eating all that Halloween candy? I'll never tell...plus its hard to talk with tootsie rolls stuffed in my mouth.
We all know that after we finish that first draft and a few rewrites, the next step is trimming the fat. Those extra adjectives, those endless scenes where we waxed poetic about the beauty of the forest, that five page kiss. Stop it! You know your going to have to trim that. Kisses don't last more than a page...unless your writing something a little more risque than YA and if so..more power to ya.
I have never had a problem with the trimming, in fact I usually have to add more description to my manuscript at the backend. I am a bare bones kind of writer. Or I thought I was. Until I checked my word count last night and realized I am over 65,000 words and my MC is not nearly done with her story. I may have to trim down on this one. But not until I have completed the first draft and checked for story consistency.
Do you tend to overwrite during the first draft or are you an add later type of writer?
Marsha,
ReplyDeleteI loved this post and you're totally right (or is it "write"? LOL). I usually add more description when I go back over it than when I first write.
Are you gonna make it Saturday? :-)
Thanks, Bethany! I'm still not sure if I can make it. I am going to try! You cannot hate me if I don't! I swear if I don't this time then I will be there next month. I will let you for sure before Saturday morning.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first, so I couldn't tell you. I'm at 31,000 words and I want to finish this month. So that's close to 20,000 words I need to do between now and the 30th. Yikes! I better get going...(as I eat some smarties)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I totally did not post about the same thing on purpose! Had to clarify that first.
ReplyDeleteSecond: I overwrite and go back to trim most of the time.
I definitely get carried away sometimes. I like words, and I like making them sound pretty :) My works aren't long, but they've definitely got some description in them that could do to go... I think I need to write in some more scenes and take out some of the fluff...
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