All the Words Not on the Page
By Julie Rowe
The words you read in a published book are just the end
product of a process that can take weeks, months, or even years. Every writer
has their own method of getting their story down, revising, editing, and
finally giving the go to say it’s done. No matter the process, there are still
a lot of words the reader never gets to see. Words that are, nevertheless, part
of the story.
Some writers need a detailed outline, a plan, or map of the
story before they flesh it out with setting, character, and conflict. Others
want no advance planning at all, preferring to discover the story as they
write. They may edit and revise as they write, or wait until after the first
draft is done before revising to tuck all the story threads away neatly.
I tend to write my first draft without much revision or
editing as I go. For me, creation is a very different mental process from editing
and revision. My experience of the story changes when I go from the first draft
into the second and following drafts. I tend to write action and dialogue
first, then add description and emotional context in successive drafts. I also
have to read through the manuscript front to back for continuity – how many
days have passed, secondary character names, who did what. Through all of this,
words are being added, removed, or changed.
Before I send the completed manuscript to my editor, I print
it off and go at it with a red pen; striking out, questioning, and adding
words. Here’s a photo of my table covered in pages from Smoke and Mirrors, releasing
Feb 26, 2018. Every pile is a chapter, full of red pen notes and post-it-note
reminders.
So many words my readers will never see, yet the story
wouldn’t exist without them. Character interviews, a multi-page synopsis, and editorial
notes from a collection of editors who work on the book – the reader doesn’t
get to see those either.
I’m curious, as a reader, which hidden words would you like
to see?
Julie Rowe’s
first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West
Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include
medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write
about all her medical experiences because, “Fiction has to be believable”. Julie
writes romantic suspense and romantic thrillers. Her next release, Smoke and
Mirrors book #2 of the Outbreak Taskforce series will be out Feb 26, 2018. You can
find her at www.julieroweauthor.com
, on Twitter @julieroweauthor or at her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JulieRoweAuthor
4 comments:
I've never actually thought about wanting to see any of the hidden words. If I think about it, I'd probably say, if there were entire scenes cut out of the story, I might want to read those and find out why they were cut out.
I just want the finished product, because that is your best effort. I must admit, though,from the photo of your table, that your method looks way too organized and neat. Are you sure you're a writer? lol
Knowing all the bits, would break the illusion as a reader. However, as a writer, understanding someone’s process could help creativity and organization. Personally, I have created character note cards to help with continuity. For me, seeing how others develop their characters, and track each one, would be interesting.
Such an interesting post, Julie. I am a sticky note queen -- I use them for everything, including plotting out the entire book on a trifold board. I really enjoy hearing about other author's processes. It helps me refine mine!
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