I am in the process of revising, editing and improving what was my very first venture into
writing a novel length
manuscript. It was the result of a
NaNoWriMo challenge and if you read older posts you will see how that went!
Returning to a story and its characters is like visiting old friends you have not seen for years. There is catching up to do, as I for one, had forgotten some of the scenes I had written in my frantic state but also picking up where you left off. As this work was my initial venture into writing I can look at it with learned eyes and see its faults. So now I am enjoying my characters voices once again and making the story so much better. With renewed purpose I am optimistic I can enhance the manuscript sufficiently to submit it to a few
publishing houses this year (or next!). My hope is to see Life in Slake Patch out in the world for all to enjoy.
Have you returned to a manuscript? How did you enjoy it? What were your thoughts? Did you plunge into perfecting it?
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I so want to read An Elizabethan Affair from start to finish! This is the year we accomplish our dreams.
Thank you for the compliment too.
You know me, Mandy, always got something on the go. My story of revisting actually takes out of hiding that manuscript meant to be written, but in saying that, it was one that needed my attentions totally to be done. I began writing it a few years ago and put it aside. Since that time I have written two more novels and a novella, as well as a myriad of prompts, short stories, poetry, and blogs. I am revisiting that special novel like a secret lover – cherishing the moments alone, giving it my full and adoring attention, doing everything to make it so much better that it was – and yes, seeing how much my writing has improved! I hope to release “An Elizabethan Affair” this year because – it is its time.
Thanks for your posts Mandy and your driven, dedicated devotion to the craft of writing – you truly are an inspiration!
I, too, dusted off an old almost-finished manuscript recently. It IS like revisiting old friends – I got excited about the characters again, and I wanted to do them justice and craft an even better story now that I’m 4 years wiser with writing and editing and such. So it’s not a super old novel – not like your first venture, which, holy cow you’re braver than I. I don’t even know where my first completed manuscript is. Collecting dust in my parent’s attic maybe, with all my other adolescent writings…that I’m now curious to take a peek at, hah.
I’m definitely pumped to finish and perfect the 4 year old one. I’ve cut out a lot of unnecessary garbage, tightened up the story, edited ruthlessly. I kind of like to see the mistakes I made, knowing how far I’ve come now, even though I still have plenty to learn. Proof that we grow as we keep writing and learning. Well, good luck to you with your manuscript! That’s really cool that you’re going back to the very beginning and making it work.
It is exciting to see how much you have developed as a writer and with that knowledge can make your story so much better. Enjoy your rummaging through the attic!
Thanks for the follow – I love connecting with other writers.
Good luck to you too – as we improve in this wonderful art of writing we can make our work better.
I have looked at some old manuscripts and gasped. They were long, wordy and extremely boring. It will be a fun challenge to re-work them.
That is the fun of it – with new knowledge we can make them so much better. Enjoy.
Thanks for the follow.
Have fun with it – as we improve as writers we can see our past flaws and better them
I actually did that this year, too. Realized how very bad it was, and how one dimensionaly my characters were. But, like you said, returning with learned eyes gives us a chance to spend time with our characters in a whole new way!
I love knowing I have advanced and grown as a writer since that first ‘dip’ into writing.
Thank you for the follow.
It is fun to see how far we have come from humble beginnings – good luck.