There is a magic in rewriting a story and I discover
its beauty the more rewriting comes to an end. I’ve rewritten 21 of the 27
chapters and even if I cut some of them and expanded others, the fact is that
the original story is on its end.
But my story is not!
It feels strange to alter my story so much but it’s a beautiful
feeling. Like the first draft was an unfinished puzzle and now I can finally
put the last pieces together so I can see the bigger picture.
The questions I
had, regarding the plot, are now answered and the more I work on it, the more I realize
that I write the final scenes of the old draft so that I can actually write the
final chapters, of my new story, from scratch!
The two drafts begin to diverge and I’m in the
intersection point. A feeling of sadness overwhelms me as I’m forced to say goodbye
to a story I ached so much to write, but at the same time I feel relieved as
the new version of it, is better and I feel proud.
Proud that I took the decision to rewrite it, because
it was a good one, and also because rewriting taught me some very important
lessons:
- Cut the scenes that stall the progress.
- Rewrite those scenes that need more power.
- Find the holes in the plot and change them.
- Not necessarily follow the same pace as the first draft.
Summarizing it, rewriting is like reinventing your story.
We take the raw idea that is practically the first draft and we dust off the unnecessary
stuff so that we can find the gem that was there since the beginning.
What is your experience with rewriting? Any secrets to
tell?
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