The purpose of my third draft is to incorporate suggestions from beta readers (discussed previously). The last third of the manuscript will no doubt be the most difficult, but so far it has been a lot of fun. After collating the beta readers’ specific suggestions, it was clear they had each bent over backward to avoid belaboring any specific concern, leaving it to me to take the general point and find most of the instances myself. I adopted the mindset that I was collaborating with the author of the first two drafts to provide the best possible experience for future readers. That way I didn’t waste a lot of time putting up counterproductive resistance, which otherwise whispers, I thought that was pretty good when I wrote it. In most respects, I am not a lazy person, so it is odd that I have taken so much pride over the years in “rewriting” as little as possible. Isn’t all writing still writing no matter how many times you have already attempted it?
Over half of my edits involve deleting something, be it a word, phrase, paragraph, or scene. Since the manuscript was longer than necessary, making deletions is gratifying. Most of the passages that need more words are concentrated in the last third of the manuscript, where there has been less opportunity to make revisions. Also, it is easier to see the essential limbs of the story after it has been pruned. I am so grateful to be working with rather than against myself.
(first published on 18 Feb 23)
