I am in the middle of a major edit on my 3rd novel, Spellbound. It was originally written in 1st person and I decided to do a POV change on the entire thing. Huge undertaking...yes....hard...no, not at all. And I'm quite enjoying being able to add in my hero's thoughts! Very fun actually!!
But what I'm noticing as I do this edit, my word count keeps fluctuating. It goes up when I write in some of my male characters POV, then goes down when I edit out a blah paragraph. And now that I'm in the middle of copy edits with my editor for A Bitch Named Karma, I am learning soooooooooooooooooo much and it's amazing how I read my work now and can instantly pick out spots that are worded wrong. And dialog tags...I never thought I was horrible with them...but boy...I am cutting a bunch out!
Love that I am constantly learning new things and strengthening my writing!!
So overall the word count makes me happy. For the moment it's lower than it was when I originally finished the story...but I know there are spots I need to add in more of my hero's thoughts...so I expect it to end up back where it originally was.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I bet the copy editing IS insightful. I agree with you on the fluctuating re-writes. Mine always shorten then grow.
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy post. I've changed the POV to my novel a couple of times, and it's always a bit intimidating, but you just get it done bit by bit. I'm glad you feel like you are learning a lot. That's a great feeling!
ReplyDeleteMy word count goes up and down as well as I edit. Don't worry about it!
ReplyDeleteI recently did the opposite: changed from third to first person. It was a major undertaking, but my novel is far better for having done it. It definitely made me read and evaluate each word! I think I ended up losing about 1,000 words total. Not that much in the grand scheme of things (for an 86,000 word book).
ReplyDeleteSo I wouldn't concern yourself with word count--it'll even out! Seriously, sometimes I wish my computer didn't count my words right there in front of me while I write. It becomes an obesssion!
That's a great attitude! It is amazing how much revising has to teach us about writing... something that I find comforting, since it is the most "work" like part of writing.
ReplyDeleteI also have some serious fluctuating word count right now, but that's OK -- we'll have stronger novels in the end!
Thanks everyone!! Yes...I am learning so much from this process. And it is a slow process at that. Sometimes I feel very disappointed when I sit here for an hour, 2 hours and walk away with only edited 10-15 pages. But I'll get there!!
ReplyDeleteIt always feels so good when you suddenly realize, "Hey! I've learned so much. I'm so much better at this." I want another one of those moments. It's coming...I can feel it in the wind. :-)
ReplyDeleteChanging from first to third POV? That IS an undertaking. I personally prefer third, I love the way I can jump back and forth between the hero and heroine's head.
ReplyDeleteI like watching my word count jump. I am notorious for checking on my word count. I like to see my progress!