Don't look back

[altariel]

This week I’ve been revising a story. I read somewhere once that revision is one of the chief pleasures of writing and this time round I really got what that was all about. It was enormous fun. One piece of advice I had in mind all week was something David Almond says on his website about revision: “Go through your printed pages with a pen. Cross out the things that you think don't work. Put in new and better things.” I think this is a great piece of advice, so no-nonsense. When I finished the first draft, I thought my story was without doubt the best thing ever to emerge from a keyboard. When I went back to revise it, it was: “Oh, that’s manifestly crap, this’ll be much better.” Because I always secretly know when something is a bit shit, I’m just in denial about it, thanks to massive insecurity about the first draft. Obviously it is much more pleasurable to be putting down things that are good and work rather than things which are a bit rubbish.

The other piece of advice I kept in mind was something emeraldsedai once said to me: “It’s not excess words so much as excess thoughts.” I think this really gets to the heart of a real pleasure of the revision process, to do with sifting through all the ideas I have in mind, and deciding which are the ones worth picking up and therefore threading throughout the narrative. Crafting in an idea, finding different ways to communicate it, either through a certain image, or the way a scene is set up, or just simply through choosing a particular word with the right connotations, is one of my favourite things about writing. With this particular piece I had all this stuff in my head about one of the character’s relationship to his father. It all became attached to a particular image (Plato’s cave, for what it’s worth), so I had to start setting that up too, but the more of it went in, the more it started to deform the whole. So – heave ho. It’s all there in my head, anyway, and I imagine there might be residual trace elements. Hopefully the texture of the backstory will remain, at least. So, sometimes you’re cutting not just to put in new and better things, you’re also cutting things that you like and think are good ideas, only there isn’t a place for them here. I’m sure I’ll find a use for this image and associated ideas in one form or another one day.

In other news: kradical has just posted the table of contents for Big Finish's May 2008 Doctor Who: Short Trips anthology The Quality of Leadership. This contains my short story The Slave War: a Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) story with Ben, Jamie and Polly; one of the leaders in question is Spartacus.

In other other news: my short story Sea Change, first published in Foundation 100, has been selected to appear in Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction, Vol. 25. I’m really quite pleased.

Comments

[lil-shepherd.livejournal.com]

In other other news: my short story Sea Change, first published in Foundation 100, has been selected to appear in Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction, Vol. 25. I’m really quite pleased.

So you should be. Heartiest congratulations!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Congrats on all of the fabulous news! Especially on making the Year's Best anthology!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Many thanks. I'm pretty gobsmacked, actually!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm a bit blown away by it, actually, keep pinching myself: "Did that just happen?" :-)

[avon7.livejournal.com]

Well done! You deserve to be very pleased.

[kathyh]

Many congratulations. What excellent news.

[gair.livejournal.com]

ALTARIEL = YEAR'S BEST = awesome. Well done.

(Also you win at writing things called Sea Change!)

[julesjones]

Lots and lots of congratulations in order, then. :-)

[the-wild-iris.livejournal.com]

Best sci-fi of the year and a professional writer in two fandoms! That's brilliant. Many congratulations!

So, sometimes you’re cutting not just to put in new and better things, you’re also cutting things that you like and think are good ideas, only there isn’t a place for them here.

Killing your babies... however difficult, I think it's always a good sign for the story; it means the narrative is taking on a life of its own, and not just having you (one) consciously manipulate what goes into it.

And readers will still find plenty of imagery the author never intended :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you :-) And yes, I have been chuckling about the Sea Change thing!

[six-old-cars.livejournal.com]

Gardner's anthology is one of the definitive tomes - and getting into it marks you as a Really Proper Author (which we knew anyway but were just waiting for official confirmation). Congratulations!

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Those are both wonderful achievements.

What you said about economy of thought in writing is something I'll try to remember.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

You're in the Dozois? Wow, I'd have bought that in any case, it's a standard. A real touchstone. Brilliant news.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thanks :-) I'm really pleased about this, it feels as if the slog is starting to see some pay off.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :-D

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Even better ;-D

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Jumping up and down and squeeing! Hurrah for justice!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :-D

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your new publications! Go you!

[ozarque.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on the Dozois Year's Best...! That's terrific.

[archbishopm.livejournal.com]

Oh my god you are together in a book with Greg Egan!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I feel like I'm in Forrest Gump or else Zelig!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you, very much!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And yay for your icon!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Bless you :-) Thank you!