Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Writer Wednesday: Hello, Old Friend

Have you ever put a manuscript aside for a long time—I'm talking months or even years—and then gone back to it? Maybe it's to revise or edit after it was acquired by a publisher, but either way, you've had time away and all the details aren't at the forefront of your mind because you've been writing other things. For me it's like getting to see an old friend again.

This year I finished writing a book I hadn't looked at in a while (because I got busy editing other books), and it made me fall in love with the story again. Next week, I'll be diving into edits on a book that was acquired a while ago. I haven't looked at the manuscript in probably a year, and I'm really excited to go back and visit these characters. I remember having that feeling of "this is the one" when I wrote the book, and I'm hoping I still have that feeling when I get my first round edits from my amazing editor. I'll be sure to let you know. :)

Have you revisited any "old friends" lately? Was it a good experience?

25 comments:

  1. Sometimes I get the itch, and I'll look at starts of old stories on my computer, usually several pages. As for my other two actually finished books, I haven't looked at them in awhile. But I do plan to revise one of them, so one day I will! Whenever I get the time for that...

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    1. Finding time can be tricky. I have a few projects I'd like to get back to, but they don't fit into my schedule right now.

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  2. I do look back at times and when I do I'm like, "Who the hell wrote that?" LOL

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  3. I have a couple of old manuscripts, like from years ago, on my list to start again or finish or whatever they need. Trying to finish the ones I'm working on now first. I'm so slow.

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    1. That's great that you have them ready and waiting for you though. :)

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  4. I have to get back to reading through my MS. I set it aside after the death of my mother, and it's time to look at it again.

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  5. Most of the shorter ebooks I published are stories I started years ago and put them aside. It was interesting reading them and seeing how much my writing style changed.

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    1. Yes, it's always fun to see how much you've grown.

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  6. I am falling in love again with one I forgot I wrote 10 years ago. I thought I'd lost it until I found it in a box of old papers. I think I can breathe life into it again. I love the MC.

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  7. I wrote my next release three years ago, putting it away because of rejections and focusing on other projects, and my feelings for editing it recently were different compared to other books I've readied for publication. I knew the story well and it felt like I was visiting old friends because of the time away from it.

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    1. My 2016 title is one that I wrote years ago and put aside for a while, too. I love that. :)

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  8. You're right, Kelly. Old manuscripts definitely feel like old friends. Have fun editing.

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  9. Have a good time editing and I hope the feedback is great. :) One of my old friends merged with a new one lately and I like the direction it's taking.

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  10. I've set mine away several times. And now that I'm committed to revising it, I'm in the throes of summer vacation. It takes a lot of discipline to be a writer.

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  11. I've brought out a very old one to revise...so yes, it's good to visit the old friends.

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  12. What a treat for you, Kelly. I have such "old friends" I refuse to re-visit. But, surprisingly, once in a while I am pleasantly surprised accidentally running into one.(Ahmm, like opening the wrong file by mistake and finding myself reading...)

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  13. Yes, this just happened to me!! Sometimes that time away makes all the difference :)

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