How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)
While I’ve previously written on the topic of sticking with a project–and the principles from that post do apply beyond the first draft into revisions, edits, etc.–it was recently brought to my attention that I don’t have a post addressing some of the obstacles that can arise specifically after the first draft is complete, so that is what I will be discussing today!
Obstacle #1: Feeling Inadequate
As you shift from the writing process into the process of identifying problems and rewriting to remedy those problems, it’s easy to feel unequal to the task at first–especially if this is your first time stepping into the rewriting stage. It can be daunting. I get it!
It’s important to remember that even as you start rewriting and editing, your project is still allowed to be imperfect–and so is your process. You are allowed to take as long as you need–and as many drafts as you need–to figure out what works for you and your project. It’s a learning process, and not only will each draft you finish make the next a little clearer, each full project you rework will make the next a little bit easier, too.
To address the practical side of this obstacle, the biggest step is to identify what it is about the project that feels intimidating to address. What is it you feel inadequate to do? Are you not sure how to identify the problems with your story? Do you know what the biggest problem is but feel unsure how to move forward with fixing it?
I’ll admit The Masked Captain has been sitting in my computer, first draft fully written, for five and a half years. Why? Because I know the theme isn’t working, which means (in this case) reworking portions of the plot, and that’s been a daunting prospect. I’ve also been considering whether or not it would benefit from an added plotline following the main character’s brother, to balance the theme from another perspective. But, as I’ll share as an example for the next point, just clarifying those big issues makes it a lot easier to break down what actually needed to be done–and makes the obstacles seem less intimidating in and of themselves!
Obstacle #2: “What Next?”
Editing, especially developmental editing, is a big and multi-faceted task, which can make it difficult to know where to start. But having a plan is critical to reaching the finish line with a project, and it can help a great deal with putting insecurities to rest as well. So how do you go about making a plan that works?
If you already know of some major issues in your manuscript, those are often a good place to start. If you know you need to rewrite your ending, for example, it makes sense to do that before trying to adjust anything else since the new ending has the potential to shape the entire story. Something like adding a whole new plotline falls into the same category.
If you don’t already know of big issues like those, my advice is always to start with a critical read-through and take notes as you go. Make a running list of anything you want to change or improve, at any level. (Not feeling confident about pulling out issues effectively? Consider having an alpha reader or two help out, or reference a book like Troubleshooting Your Novel to start with.)
After that, I generally find it helpful to split that list into categories–a list for developmental edits and a list of line edits might be sufficient, if that’s how the list best breaks down, but I often have lists for character edits, worldbuilding edits, and plot edits, and sometimes lists for individual characters/arcs if I’ve noticed a lot of detailed problems.
Lists in hand, you can start with the biggest edits–or one set of the biggest edits–and work your way down from there!
Don’t let decision paralysis get in your way. If you’re not sure which step or revision to start with, just choose one. If taking a full category of edits all at once feels like too much, lower it down to just one or two edits first and move on down the list piecemeal. If you’re not sure which fix will work best for an issue, try one of the solutions; if it doesn’t work, backtrack and try a different one; nothing is permanent until you decide it is.
To look at The Masked Captain as an example again, it’s overwhelming to think about rewriting the current plotline and adding a whole second one. Instead, it might make more sense to rewrite the current plotline on its own, fix the way it ends for thematic purposes, then look at that completed draft and gauge whether or not not needs the additional plotline to strengthen the new theme further. That may still be a lot of work, but it’s much simpler than making two major changes at the same time.
Obstacle #3: Waning Interest
Especially in later drafts, when you’ve already read your project a dozen times (or more), you may find yourself losing interest. There are two possible solutions to this: reminder and rest.
Sometimes, all it takes it a reminder of why you were excited about this project in the first place. What about it seemed important to you at the time? What elements of the story caught your interest? If your project has changed significantly between then and now, you may have to look at the story from a new perspective and find new reasons to love it.
In other cases, this isn’t enough to reignite the affection you once had for a project, in which case my recommendation is rest. Your disinterest is probably a result of burnout, which is only solved by setting the project aside for a while and focusing on something else. If you keep pushing, you’ll only start to dislike your project more, which can totally kill your interest in a project for a long time. A lesson I learned in the process of working on Thunder, which I shared after the draft was finished, is that “Rest is not giving up; it’s an investment in better writing later.” Take a break. Recharge. Come back once you can enjoy the story again and do it justice. Pushing past the burnout point will only result in disservice to your project and to you.
I would also remind you: Not only is rest okay, so is setting a project aside for a later season. Sometimes we hit the end of what we can do with a project at our skill level and we know a project needs more; sometimes we need a long break to get back in the right headspace for a particular project; sometimes we’re just busy and don’t have time to invest in refining a project for a while. None of these scenarios are “giving up,” and you can always return to a project when the time is right again. Often, writing is a craft of patience.
Obstacle #4: Not Making Time
On the flip side, not making time when you could–when other things aren’t taking priority, when you’re just avoiding the hard parts, when you still believe the project is important and a good fit for this season–is an obvious obstacle to seeing a project through. This can be a matter of procrastination and failure to prioritize or it can be a matter of simply not knowing how to make the time and work out a habit that works for you.
If you’re not prioritizing your project, ask yourself why. Is it really important to you? Or should you acknowledge that you have other priorities right now and make a plan to work on this story later? Is there some other concrete obstacle you need to address in order to move forward, like figuring out the next step or learning more about the editing craft to boost your confidence?
If the problem is just a lack of habit and uncertainty as to how to fit this project in, but you want to prioritize it, there are lots of practical tips for solving that obstacle! This post is all about time management tips for authors–which can be applied whether you have lots of time you’re managing poorly or you need to figure out how to fit writing/editing into the margins–and this post specifically addresses how to build and keep an effective writing/editing habit.
Do any of these obstacles sound familiar? Are there any obstacles I missed that you’d like me to address in the comments? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
One thought on “How to Stick with a Project (Past the First Draft)”