Wednesday, June 2, 2021

WEP - When to let go...


Insecure Writer's Support Group


Purpose of the IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Join us!

The Question:

For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?

My Answer

It depends on many things, but I've never felt that I released a book too soon.

My latest WIP, A Passion for Murder, has been shelved many times this last year. It's the final book in my Alaskan Mystery Series, and I want it to be worthy of that title. I've sent it out to beta readers, and while I received positive responses. I still wasn't happy.

I've done another re-write, and now, finally, I think it's ready. I'll know for sure after a read-aloud edit, but I don't regret taking my time. It may frustrate the readers, but time, I've found, only makes the story better.

 The outstanding co-hosts this month are:

Be sure to say hello!


KEEP WRITING!

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Announcing!

GREAT WAVE!


The Great Wave is an iconic work created in the 1820’s by Hokusai. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a  Japanese artist from the Edo period. He was a master of Ukiyo-e, a genre of woodblock prints and paintings very popular at the time in his country. Ukiyo-e translates loosely as ‘images of the floating world.’ The Great Wave of Kanagawa, also condensed to The Great Wave, is part of a series called Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, is Hokusai’s most well-known work. Have a peek at the series here. And read more about Hokusai here.

The immediate response to this prompt could be to relate it to the tsunami of 2004 or the Japanese nuclear disaster. And it is a small step from there to jump to the climate issues we are facing round the world, the unprecedented weather patterns and natural disasters small and large.

But a great wave need not be always of water – it can be a great wave of refugees. And of soldiers. Or protesters and last but not the least, voters.

Equally a great wave of an emotion – pain, love, bitterness, rage, nausea, which one will your characters feel?

It could even be a small wave, we'll leave the size up to you – the wave of a hand, the flutter of a flag. Or cravat/tie.

So many places to float away to, which one will you choose with this prompt?


Join the WEP for the third challenge






6 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I feel it is so important that the author is at peace with a book that published because that feeling of contentment flows over to the reader. I find it good that you work on it until you know it is ready and then you move on.

    Hoping to see you at the WEP.

    Have a lovely month of June.

    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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  2. Why rush it? Completing a series is a big thing and it needs to go out with a bang.

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  3. Taking a little extra time to get it right is always worth it. I do a read-aloud edit, too. It is amazing how much you catch with that technique, especially in the rhythm.

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  4. Totally agree! Time is so important.

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  5. Taking the time needed for a story is paramount. Many beginner writers publish prematurely, but that is a mistake. A story needs time to germinate, and only the author knows how long that time should be.

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  6. I agree--it's no good trying to rush a book out. Having something out there that you are unhappy with isn't going to do you any good. And some books are stubborn, with issues that it takes a lot of time to suss out and more time to fix.

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