The Beauty of Re-writes

The version of The Circle I'm working on, was originally my Nanowrimo novel. I did not win it. I was only at around 13,000 words. I added a ton more that December, and January, and then started another draft at some point. Can't remember the date on it. That means, this draft is actually the second draft (except the end which I haven't written yet at all).

Some days I write without looking at my first draft. Other days, like today, I flip back and forth between the drafts. The great thing about this is, that you pick up on things you never noticed before. Things that don't quite make sense, or things that are almost way-too-much-of-a-cliche to exist.

For example, today I was writing the after effects of a fight scene. Missy, my narrator and main character (I've probably said that in several posts. This is the last time I'll mention it, I promise) was doing a LOT of running. She isn't a runner by any stretch of imagination. There is no logical way that she could do that much running without hurting the next day. And yet, in the first draft, after all that running, several miles worth, she's fine. No aches, no sores. She's not even unusually tired.... or at least, she wasn't. She will be now.

I love finding logic errors like that, because the more I find, the less will be in my final draft. It's only a little thing, but it's still something.

Posted in: drafts,editing,The Circle