Some months ago a beta reader gave me feedback on Book #1. It was useful and important feedback that I needed to address, but at that moment my first frightened thought was: I can’t. I don’t know how.
The beta reader wanted to know more. More of everything. More about the past, about the future, about the characters, about their lives before and their lives now, more about the place, about this world, about the political situation. As I listened to it, I thought, “There’s a whole new world in there. How can I possibly describe everything?”
And then I let it go. I let it rest, because I didn’t know how to write it.
Luckily, I had started writing another story (let’s call it Book #2) so I didn’t feel like total loser.
Now, while beta readers are currently suffering though Book #2 draft (sorry! ☺) I am working on Book #1 again, and the extra time I allowed myself, helped me a lot. It gave me distance to the story, so I could look at it from a different perspective and then come back to it, to fill in the gaps.
And I like where it’s now taking me.
What’s really important for me is that I don’t take too long to re-write it. I need to wrap it up soon, while I still see the story, feel the characters…
Let’s set a deadline. How much time should I give myself, what do you think?
Honestly, the best is not to continue while you have all the characters still in mind, the story present. No! Leave it all behind. Put the draft as far away as you possibly can. And give it a break of a couple years. 3-4 years. Then come back to it. Read it as anybody would do and finish it in 1 (ONE!) go.
Have you ever been writing a diary and lost it one day. When you find it years later and read it… you know instantly, what was missing in your life at this time.
I’m sure this applies also to your Book1 or Book2…
😉
G