One of the more common pieces of writing advice I’ve heard is that it’s extremely important to put your work aside for an extended period of time before you revise. Some people say to do this after draft one, some say to do it once you think the book is “finished.” Some say to put your work aside for a month, others say 5 months, and still others say a year. But the commonality here is this: you cannot truly be “finished” with (read: ready to query/submit/self publish) a novel unless you take some time away from it first.
Now, I always thought the point of this advice was to catch the “mistakes.” Maybe a plot hole, or a characterization weakness, or a continuity error. But there’s so much more to it than that.
When you reread a manuscript you haven’t worked on in months, you suddenly see all the new storytelling opportunities you didn’t know were there all along.
Maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but I was flabbergasted by this revelation. I hadn’t touched DIVE in 2 months (not even that long!). When I picked it up and started reading, I expected to find a few typos, maybe a dangling plot line, etc. Nothing major, I thought. Bring it on.
They will also start thinking about who will look after me if I am ill. cialis pfizer achat amerikabulteni.com Working : Soft Tabs viagra for women online must be placed at normal room temperature in a cool, dark and dry place. It is easily available with reliable pharmacies in the UK, which offer free viagra 100mg usa shipping and a very reliable customer support. Many people prefer on line viagra when it comes to a physical relationship. Instead, I realized I had written a really solid book that had great characters and a fun plot…but also the potential to be so. much. more. There were places where I could add more emotion. Opportunities to tie plot lines together more tightly. Hell, I’m inventing a whole new magic system that ties the threads of the book together in a way I never dreamed was possible.
But that’s exactly the point: I never dreamed it was possible because I was too wrapped up in what was already there to see what could be.
So the next time you finish a book, actually follow that advice we all ignore because we’re too excited to send the book out. Take a step back. WAIT AT LEAST A MONTH. It won’t kill you, it won’t kill your book. In fact, it’ll MAKE your book what it truly has the potential to be…
Something you dreamed up.
Yes. SO MUCH this! <3
Yes this, I usually give myself maybe about a month after draft one, before I begin revision largely for this reason.
I’m using NaNo for exactly this purpose. It’s just the distraction I need to get away from my supposedly “finished” novel.
Keep up the good advise…and keep writing š
Such good advice. I have done the one month break and 6 months to a year also. I am amazed at how much better my book is in ways I never would have thought of.