Success only flourishes in perseverance -- ceaseless, restless perseverance.
--Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Plowing Through

I'm more than half-way through revising my novel. I hope to be done by the end of the week. It's been fun. Really. I kind of like revising. I've noticed a few things:

I don't attribute dialog often enough. I know it's bad to have too many dialog tags, but I've found passages of lengthy dialog with no attributions even though there are more than two people in the conversation. I've had to throw in a few well-placed "he said"s.

My characters chuckle a lot. *sigh*

My characters also sigh a lot.

I love my characters even with all the chuckling and sighing.

I have more trouble with scenes from my female POV characters than the male ones. Is that weird?

It's easier to point out problems in someone else's book than to spot them in mine. (This must be like the beam in the eye problem.)

Overall, I'm feeling pleased both with what I've written and what I'm changing. I will be excited to have others take a look at it. Wish me luck!

36 comments:

Franklin Beaumont said...

Hi Angie. I enjoy the revision process too, though it can be alarming when you find problems you really should have seen the first time around. Then again, sometimes you pleasantly surprise yourself. Either way, there's a lot to learn about your writing in the process - though, as you said, it's easier to judge other people's work than it is your own. Best of luck!

Tamara said...

I just began the revision process and I can appreciate your post. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me to keep at it.

Tere Kirkland said...

Oh, man, my characters are endlessly chuckling and sighing, but the worst was when they were rolling their eyes at least once per chapter.

Good luck with the revisions!

T. M. Hunter said...

I'm right there with you on finding it easier to point out issues with other writers' work than my own.

The rest of my issues are too numerous to list out here...

tiffany said...

glad the revise seems to be going well & good luck

what is a pov?

Linz said...

Have fun revising! And no, I don't think the whole female/male POV thing is weird. I actually think it's easier the further away the character is from myself when I write (oh, did you know I write once or twice a decade? Well, I do...:))

Good luck!

Angie said...

Todd, you must do something right, because your books are awesome.

Tiff, POV means point of view, or the character through whose eyes we are seeing the story.

Linz, I'm fainting. What have you written? I must read it! Send it immediately. That's an order!

Shallee said...

Good luck, Angie, and way to go on being so close to done! I always love the editing part-- making it say what I actually meant it to! :)

Terry W. Ervin II said...

Wishing you luck. It's always a good sign when revising that you're still enjoying the work.

Angie said...

Thanks, Terry. I am glad to still be enjoying it. Thanks everyone for stopping by!

RaShelle Workman said...

Angie - Is it the guys that chuckle and the girls that sigh? LOL I'm curious.
I'm so glad you love your characters. That is a good thing. Good luck with your revisions. =D

Jolene Perry said...

You know what? I'm working on one where I switch from male to female pov and the guy stuff comes out way more natural and easy. I have no idea what this says about me.
I too am about halfway through revision #1.
There are times when you just have to laugh because all of your characters are doing the same thing, SIGH...

Karen Lange said...

Congrats on the progress! I kinda like revisions too. Most of the time:) Just learning stuff all the time, aren't we? I think this is a good thing.
Blessings,
Karen

Aubrie said...

I'm the opposite with dialog tags! I'm always afraid the reader won't know who's talking! My characters sigh a lot as well. Good luck with the rest of your revisions!

Carolyn V. said...

Good luck with those fun revisions. =)I find I add too many breaths in my tags. Opps. =D

Lisa Miles said...

I like revising too. I'm finding I need more descriptions, because I have too much dialogue.

Melissa said...

I totally understand about how easy it is to spot problems in others work and how very, very, very hard it is to spot problems in your own!!

Good luck with your revisions!

Nicole said...

I'm revising too! Again! *sigh* is never ending ;p

http://damselinadirtydress.blogspot.com

Angela said...

Good Luck. If you're like me, you'll think you've finished revising, then find something you don't like and start revising the whole thing again and again and again like a maniac.

Christina Lee said...

Oh, sigh..... and then chuckle
;--) Me too! it's amazing how you get stuck using same things all the time!

Stacy Henrie said...

Love the beam in the eye analogy for writing! Never thought of it that way. My crit group is good at spotting my characters' overuse of smiling, looking, and laughing. Good luck with the revisions.

Angie said...

LOL, Aubrie. We all have different weaknesses, don't we? Thanks for coming by.

(I think I responded to the rest of you via email. If I missed you, sorry! I love all your comments.)

Angie said...

Oops. Just realized I couldn't email Nicole or Melissa, either. Good luck with your revisions, Nicole. Melissa, I think it's hard when we're so close to the story. We can't see it as objectively. Thanks again for stopping by!

ali cross said...

Luck! I totally laughed out at the *sigh* followed by the comment that your characters sigh a lot. ROFL!!

LTM said...

lol! sigh.

(that was a chuckle followed by a... sigh.)

Man! Good luck w/those revisions, aka my LEAST favorite part! Me = also do male characters better than female (what IS that???) and have had to focus on dialog tags, too!

Are we the same person??? ;p sigh.

T. M. Hunter said...

It just takes a lot of editing... ;-)

Carol Hunt said...

Hi Angie, I love your comments, you sound like a wise night owl, I wonder if you are still getting up early. My characters always mumble and mutter, so sighing and chuckling sounds so much better!

ali cross said...

Hey Angie! I gave you a gift on my blog today! http://alicross.blogspot.com/2010/09/you-like-me-you-really-like-me.html

Hermana Maw said...

I'm so glad your revising is going well. My characters sigh a lot, too. Sigh. :)

Angie said...

You're a good editor, Todd. Carol, welcome to the blog! I am still getting up earlier. It gets easier every day. Thank you so much, Ali! And thanks, Leisha. I think sighing is a common problem. :)

Elana Johnson said...

Oooh, good luck! For me, my characters grin or smile or laugh way too much.

Dawn Simon said...

Good luck, Angie! Isn't it funny how it can be easier critiquing someone else's work? Congrats on being so far along with your novel!

Jan Markley said...

You are right, it is easier to point out editorial issue in others' work because it is fresh and there is that detachment. Which is why I love my critiquing group and my young readers group!

Angie said...

Thanks Dawn and Jan. It is definitely easier when you have some detachment. I am so close to being done now, I can taste it! Thanks for stopping by.

Valerie Ipson said...

I'm in revisions, too. Fun times.

lotusgirl said...

It is much easier to find the glitches in someone else's work, isn't it?