Kent Wayne

Musings

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by

DirtySciFiBuddha
in

For me, drafting is about consistency–hitting a word count or set amount of time. Editing, however, is about quality and refinement–going over the manuscript again and again until the ideas and descriptions are as clear and crystalline as I can make them at that time. So I don’t really see it as being a “good” or “bad” writer. It’s about consistently drafting and editing ad nauseum.

It’s a lot of time to spend staring at a screen. The most important thing for me is to have fun while doing it. If there’s no fun in the process, it’s a soul-killing way to spend your time.

Comments

39 responses to “Musings”

  1. jerryschellhammer Avatar
    jerryschellhammer

    You’re preaching to the choir here. Do I hear an Amen?
    Writing is a craft that is only as great as your editing and rewrites allow. I can count on my hand how many rewrites I did for “A Man’s Passion” and “I Albert Peabody, and I still think I could do another rewrite to make it even better.

    Liked by 5 people

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    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      I feel the same about my published books. I have a policy for myself, though, where once it’s published I don’t revise, because if I kept going back, I might not write anything else.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
    Nella Bates (pen name)

    i think Google says you have written 12 books, is that right? So, what’s your writing schedule like to be able to accomplish that?

    People always say that editing is where the magic happens. And as you mentioned, I think editing can make a good writer great. But it’s difficult to see the woods for the trees with your own work and you need to take a hike to be able to come back with fresh eyes.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. V.M.Sang Avatar
      V.M.Sang

      That’s why I joined 2 critique groups. I can find things in other’s works, but miss the same things in my own.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Hey,
        Where might I find these critique groups? I write short stories and have been looking for such a group.
        Thanks

        Like

      2. V.M.Sang Avatar
        V.M.Sang

        The two I’m in are Scribophile and Critique Circle. Both require you to critique other works in order to acquire points to post your own work, but they are populated by other authors, so the crits are pretty good.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Thanks for the info. I’ll check them out.
        What’s the standard of work like that’s being posted? Is it all different experience levels?

        Like

    2. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      I have a drafting schedule that’s 500 words a day (I’ve tried different word counts, up to 3500). I like to try and edit two chapters a day. If I’m done drafting, I just focus on editing. As I edit, I start becoming a scholar of my own work, picking out stuff that happens at the end that relates to the beginning, and tying it all smoothly together. I also start adding stuff I think might fit, along with taking out giant chunks of stuff that is repetitive or just doesn’t work. One time, I tried drafting without simultaneously editing (3500 words per day, no editing), so I could calculate how much I took out in a single percentage. It was 67% (Echo 4).

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Woah, 67%. Bye, Bye darlings, as they say.

        How do you plan a whole book in terms of making decisions and choosing what happens next when so many different things could happen?
        I’ve tried and I get stuck because of just that. I get loads of pathways that all seem interesting, which would obviously change the story into a different direction somewhat, but then I’m left thinking that maybe this direction is better, or maybe this one.

        How do you choose the direction out of a plethora?

        Thanks 😊

        Liked by 1 person

      2. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
        DirtySciFiBuddha

        Well my path is a bit weird. I couldn’t write anything more than a chapter or two in my twenties, gave it up and tried again in my thirties, at which point I could. I think part of it came from being interested in Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey idea (specifically from his 6-part tv special from the 80s or 90s), and thus Jungian philosophy. These gave me a logical basis to base development and behavior on.

        Usually, the ending of a book will drop into my head, then pivotal scenes will follow that. (I didn’t do that with Kor’Thank, I just had fun as I went along). I just let myself draft the word count, then, as I edit, I basically become a scholar of my own work and clarify what I’m really trying to say, what I want from the characters, and refine the story. I’d say editing while drafting is pretty important for me, because it clarifies the theme and narrows down the potential.

        Hope that helps!

        Liked by 1 person

  3. bigskybuckeye Avatar
    bigskybuckeye

    I agree wholeheartedly with keeping anything fun. Keeping the passion for writing burning bright.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      Absolutely! Life was meant to be fulfilling, not a torturous slog.

      Like

      Reply
  4. Jam Avatar
    Jam

    Yes. You described the editing and writing process you should have enjoyment in those.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. shredbobted Avatar
    shredbobted

    It’s all about maintaining enthusiasm. If you’re not enthusiastic about your project, it’s time to get a new one. Fortunately for me, I love barfing words onto the screen. And I love editing even more. But that doesn’t mean some days I would rather do anything else in the world.

    Liked by 2 people

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  6. Amor Dios Emporium Avatar
    Amor Dios Emporium

    So true, perhaps applying meaning and purpose entwined aids in the process.. How we psychologically think about the process is important to enhance motivation and such. Take care always

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      Yes, life without meaning is a dreary existence.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. BrittnyLee Avatar
    BrittnyLee

    I agree with this. If I don’t love something, it’s nearly impossible for me to do it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      At the risk of being corny, I believe love is a fundamental foundation of life, and it grates our soul when we stray from it too far or too often.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. BrittnyLee Avatar
        BrittnyLee

        Not corny at all !!!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. tara caribou Avatar
    tara caribou

    Exactly.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
    Nella Bates (pen name)

    Man, I need to love more. Love you cup. Love you tree. Love you mister spider . . . Ah, maybe not the last one.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. V.M.Sang Avatar
      V.M.Sang

      There are people with their first book to authors who have many published works under their belts.

      There are both free and paid versions of each. I use the free one. In Scribophile you are limited to 2 posts at a time in the free version, but you can delete and re-post once you’ve absorbed the comments and acted on them.

      In Critique Circle, I like the way you can bring up all the comments on each paragraph together and compare them.

      I’ll look out for you there.

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Thanks so much for your answer. Very useful. It’ll give them a look.

        I wonder if you might know how best to approach the following . . .
        With regards to submitting a short story to a magazine competition, they ask that the work be previously unpublished, which of course would mean it shouldn’t be on the Internet. So if i wanted to get a short story critique then how would i go about this bearing in mind the above requirement? Any ideas? 🤔

        Like

      2. V.M.Sang Avatar
        V.M.Sang

        Good question. It doesn’t count as being published.

        Like

      3. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Oh right. I just looked it up online and it said the below . . . So i don’t think i can put it up anywhere public.

        “Yes, a lot of magazines will explicitly state this in their guidelines, but it’s true everywhere. Buying first rights means being the first place the text appears for public access. Emailing the manuscript to friends for critique or having a shared Google Drive folder with them would be fine, but putting it on a publicly accessible blog would preclude you from selling first rights in the future (and reprint markets tend to want work that originally appeared in actual magazines/markets too).”

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      4. V.M.Sang Avatar
        V.M.Sang

        That’s interesting. But I’m not sure if critique websites count as public. You have to subscribe. I’ll look into that.

        Like

      5. V.M.Sang Avatar
        V.M.Sang

        Hi, Nella. I just looked it up and someone had asked the same question on Reddit. The answer was basically, if it’s posted on a public site, such as Wattpad, where anyone can access it, then it counts as publication, but if it’s on a members only site behind a password, then it doesn’t. So you should be alright with Critique Circle and Scribophile as they are for members only, who are writers, and for the sole purpose of critique.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Oh my god, you’re brilliant. I didn’t realise that. It’s something I’ve been worrying about. Thank you so much for looking into that. Appreciate it.

        Liked by 1 person

      7. V.M.Sang Avatar
        V.M.Sang

        No problem Happy to have helped.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. V.M.Sang Avatar
      V.M.Sang

      Definitely the last one if you find it difficult. That’s where you grow.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
    3. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      I’m not a fan of bugs either, lol!

      Like

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      1. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
        Nella Bates (pen name)

        Well, if I have to try and love bugs then so do you. Just how it’s gotta be. so next one you see, give it a nice, warm compliment 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
        DirtySciFiBuddha

        That’s a good idea! I’ve heard bees are good signs. I try to wish them well when I see them buzzing around 😊

        Liked by 1 person

  10. spwilcen Avatar
    spwilcen

    Amen, Bro!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Nella Bates (pen name) Avatar
    Nella Bates (pen name)

    Yes, I’ve heard of Joseph Cambell’s hero journey. Just looked up the TV series, and it’s on YouTube, so I’ll give that a watch, thanks.

    I’ve read Save the Cat and was trying to write a screenplay based on the format, and I just got so many ideas of what could happen that I just didn’t know which ideas to chose. What excited me versus what would be good for others. I just got overwhelmed with choice, which is why I decided to try short stories instead. Force myself to be more streamlined.

    Sounds like you have a better idea of what you want from a story. More defined at the start.

    Thanks for that

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      As corny and nebulous sounds, I would say it’s important to follow your heart and instincts. When someone asked Quentin Tarantino how to break into the movie industry, he said write and direct “Reservoir Dogs,” that’s what I did, and that’s all I know how to do. His point was that too much adherence to a formula defeats our inherent uniqueness and creativity, and there is much to be said about our individual hunches and proclivities.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  12. authorstephanieparkermckean Avatar
    authorstephanieparkermckean

    You are so right! The important thing is to have fun when you write. I live to write and I write to live. God bless.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. DirtySciFiBuddha Avatar
      DirtySciFiBuddha

      Absolutely! God bless you too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  13. Gerry C. Avatar
    Gerry C.

    I agree with you totally. The creative process should be fun and not a laborious experience.

    Liked by 3 people

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