Monday, February 20, 2012

New Plan

Before I get into anything else, I need to know if my blog makes you do word verification to post? Whether it does or not, does anyone know how to turn this off? A friend of mine asked the question and I just stared blankly. I am sure I must have seen that setting at some point in setting up this blog but have no idea where to look now. What I have gleaned from reading the blogs of others is that it is greatly annoying and some people won't even comment on your blog if you have it enabled.

Okay, on to my planned blog. As I mentioned last week, I am trying to figure out a system for revisions and this is the new plan. A novelist friend and I have agreed to hold each other to task in a different way than a beta reader. We are going to pass our chapters back and forth until they are ready to go out. What that means is even if I don't have a system, an outside monitor is forcing me to actually revise. I did find some great suggestions for revision at Melissa Sugar's blog here .

My friend and I tried to figure out what consequence there would be if we didn't turn in our pages on time. Not that either of us doesn't want to write but we all know how easy it is to let other things crowd in. The best thing we could come up with is that if we don't, whoever doesn't has to come up with the consequence. What a way to avoid, huh?

So, still seeking any suggestions on a revision system that doesn't make you tear out your hair. I appreciate those I've gotten so far. Also any ideas on consequences, not that I'm planning to not do my stuff but just in case. I'd read somewhere about two writers (maybe Anne Lamont) who had to donate to the other's favorite charity if they didn't get their work done.

14 comments:

  1. Okay, every time I read your blog I almost come up with a really long comment about how to revise and what not, but I seriously lack in the street cred department. I have one MS that I would consider querying as is, and it has had some major revisions, but that's it, one.
    I have another MS, that I saw how much needed to change and I didn't even finish the first draft, I just started rewriting it from scratch. So there you go, I know nothing.

    But if you want to know what I did for the one that was ready to go, here it is.

    I wrote another book. Well, 2/3rds of another one. Then I went back to the finished first draft and edited the crap out of it. You'll be dumbfounded by how many problems will leap out at you after you've been in love with another piece for a while. It will revolutionize your editing.

    As for punishment for not making your deadline, I recommend writing assignments. The problem is that they will pile up, so if you miss a deadline, then you have to do a writing assignment, but don't let the clock start on your next deadline until you get through the writing assignment. If you need suggestions, try these ones from the Breakout Novelist. I haven't tried them all out, but you were looking for suggestions....

    And first things last, the place to change your security settings is in your design or dashboard page, go to postings and edit settings. One of them is security. And for the record, yes, yours is asking me if I'm a robot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your suggestions. I will check out those things from the breakout novelist and hopefully, you no longer have to verify that you are not a robot.

      Delete
  2. I think accountability is the number one thing. You've got that down.

    If its line editing then it doesn't seem so bad. It's all that bigger stuff that bogs me down. Should I have foreshadowed whatshisname's pregnant cousin's murder plot in a previous chapter? Should I quit starting every sentence with a 'but...'. Those are entirely different types of issues to deal with. I suppose that if you're passing chapters back and forth then you have already got the bigger problems addressed.

    Let me know what you figure out.

    Oh, you do have the 'captcha' on. And it is tough.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I figure that accountability is the thing my life is missing in so many areas. Hopefully, I have the robot thing figured out.

      Delete
  3. I envoy the revision stage, so no idea what to suggest.
    And I found a post that tells you how to turn off word verification - http://j-a-bennett.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-turn-off-word-verfication-on.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. I usually blaze through revisions because once I get started I have to finish. Getting started on the other hand...
    How about corporeal punishment? : )

    ReplyDelete
  5. To turn it off, I believe you go into Design on Blogger, then settings, then comments. It's just one check mark there. I think yours is off, as it's not asking me for the verification.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Marta, hopefully I will have much happier commenters now.

      Delete
  6. Looks like you got the comments thing answered. As for revisions, I loved the trade-off early on because of the accountability. Now, though, I try to plow through writing the whole book, then make a sort of beat sheet--one sentence for each section, and I start revisions with whether the big picture has everything it needs (or too much). I figure no point editing at a word level until the overall story is set.

    ReplyDelete