Over the weekend, I finished re-writing the first two chapters of my novel. These chapters, while likely still in need of some editing, should serve as the first two chapters in the final version. I don’t foresee re-writing them yet another time. I’ve lost count, but I think this is the third or fourth time these chapters have gone through major revisions.
I’ve submitted the first chapter to an online critique group for feedback. Critique Circle is the online group I normally use. The readers there are opinionated and constructive for the most part, which is what every writer needs. Each review is pretty well thought out. You don’t get a lot of those non-helpful critiques like “This is great,” or “This is terrible,” which is nice.
Based on the feedback from these critiques, I hope to have the first chapter up on my site by next month. While it won’t be perfect, it will at least be the first serviceable thing I’ve written for a first chapter in the past 8 years.
My plans going forward will be to eliminate the third and fifth chapters entirely. I have never really liked the point-of-view or the story line in those chapters, so I’m skipping them for this go-around. I can always bring them back if I feel the story needs them, but I’ve never really felt they served much purpose anyway. I can basically sum up in a one-sentence dialogue what happened in those two chapters.
So chapter four will actually become chapter three, and from chapter four (or the new three) going forward the story lines start to come together a bit better, and everything in terms of characters and voice and style is more cohesive and developed.
It’s difficult to estimate when the entire fifth revision of my novel will be complete, but my goal right now is set for end of August. Even with eliminating chapters three and five, I still have about 300 pages to edit.
Steve:
That’s kind of what I’m striving to do with my novel. “This is great” is nice to hear, but it isn’t really very helpful to me as a writer. “This is terrible”, is the opposite, and also not very helpful. How it’s “great” or “terrible” would be a much more constructive way for me to move forward in my writing, as it obviously is for you.
Anne G
I loved hearing “This is great” when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. Now, it doesn’t do anything for me — unless in fact — it absolutely, certainly, without a doubt, positively is great.
Steve:
The important thing here is, you’re getting the kind of help you need.
Anne G
Keep going. Good luck.
Anne, you’re right about that.
Heidi, thanks for your support as always!
Steven
Is your chapter on Critique Circle at the moment. I would love to go in and crit it if possible.
thanks
Mark
All these edits sound positive, Steven. I’m on another edit of my first novel as well, but this time just a light edit to fix some bad habits that crept in.
Mark – It’s not up for review yet. It tells me the critique period should be between Feb. 17 – Feb 24, but it could be a week earlier or a week later. Right now, the title is simply a working title and will almost certainly change before I’m done. I just needed to put a title with it, so readers would critique it. It’s called Beyond the Lands of Snow and Ice, and my screen name is Sven.
Robert – What kind of bad habits are you fixing? Is it mostly grammatical type stuff?
Steven, I’ve been a member of CC since 2004, but haven’t been terribly active lately (nothing to do with CC, just RL getting in the way). However, I’d love to find your chapters and offer critiques, if you’d like me to. I also don’t care if they have finished the review period because I don’t care how many credits I get any more. I have accumulated more than I can use. So, what is your user name on CC so I can find you? Send me an email since I’ll see that right away if you’re interested in getting a crit from me.
D’oh! I see you spelled out your CC name in the reply just above mine. *red face* Thanks for emailing me anyway. I’ve sent you a message on CC and have set a crit reminder for your upcoming story.
Thanks, Joan! I just logged on and got your message.