The 'extras' file

I've just submitted the first draft of Edge of Time (Lifespan trilogy, book 3), so thought I'd post about my rewriting process. The word count circled in yellow is the file I just submitted, and the word count circled in red is from a file I call 'Extras' - essentially, it's all the sentences and scenes I've deleted while writing (it's my way of dealing with the frustration of needing to rewrite something I've worked over for days).

The point I'm trying to make is that writing, for me at least, is a process of trial and error, it's a lot of gut feel, and it takes work. It took me 135,000 words in total to end up with less than 60,000 decent ones, and this is even before the editing process has begun. I should add, too, that a lot of the ideas in the 'Extras' file are effectively stepping stones, they helped me find the magic - or the truth, if you like - in the final story.

If you're an aspiring writer - don't lose heart if your first draft isn't perfect. They never are. Keep rewriting, keep believing in the story until it's the best you can make it. And, perhaps, save all your deleted scenes in a file of their own - that way, they're not gone forever, they're just saved for another day.

February 2017