I didn't finish my NaNoWriMo novel in November. I hit the 50k, but the story wasn't finished. It still isn't. The trouble was that at around 40k one of my minor characters dropped an unexpected bombshell. A huge bombshell. It's entirely changed the direction of the novel and has a huge impact on what came before it.
So now, the 2nd draft is nagging at me. Everything needs changing; plot, characters, relationships. It's going to become quite a different novel with this bombshell. So my question is this. Can I start on the 2nd draft before finishing the 1st one?
My head tells me it's the sensible thing to do; why continue with a novel which needs so much re-jigging? But my heart says I should finish the 1st draft first, just because, well, just because I should. What do you think?
Every writer is different of course, but I know for me I can't continue writing if I know I've got major changes to make. I have to go back and rewrite them or I get stuck and can't move forward. For me, it would be like building a house on a shaky foundation. But there is a lot to be said for having a complete first draft done, too.
ReplyDeleteTough choice, but you'll figure it out. One direction will tug on you more than the other I would think.
Congrats on reaching 50k :) you know, the whole point of NaNo isn't to FINISH a novel, but to get 50k into it.
ReplyDeleteSo I'd say, even if you go back and "start again" you're still technically on the first draft. If the changes seem appropriate to where you want the story to go, then go with it.
I'd advise saving this first version as is, and working on the re-writes under a completely different document name so you can always go back to this one if the other doesn't work out. Or, perhaps you find lots of already written sections to integrate into the other edition.
The good thing to think about is that without all the first writings, this idea would not have come so well developed. Sounds like NaNo helped you fully realize what you wanted to write about. I call that success, even if the novel itself is not finished :)
Good luck with however you decide Angel. Remember, no writing is a waste if it leads the story where it needs to go.
.......dhole
I think you could start on the "second draft." I've written that way before. It's really just a re-thinking of the first draft, and it'll help you get it straight in your head. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI think you're all right. At the end of the day, it's important to be writing what your motivated to write, rather than something that feels like a waste of time. Going to use 100k in 100 days to do it.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely you can start the second draft without finishing the first one. Of course, you don't have to call it a second draft. I'm still officially on my first draft, although I've gone back over the earlier sections many, many times already, making major revisions. I had to do this, because until I made those revisions, I didn't know where the story was heading any more.
ReplyDeleteIf you know that you are making major revisions, there's not much point in continuing on with your first draft since you'd probably end up throwing away almost everything you wrote anyway. I know a lot of writers really push getting that first draft done before revising -- there's always the possiblity that you'll never finish if you go that route -- but it all depends on you and your personal preference. If you're sure that you will finish your story, even if you go back and revise, then go back and revise!
Just my opinion.