All in all, it took me about three months to write the first draft of Charlie. It took me two years to edit, and I’m sure he’ll see more revisions still before he gets where he’s going.
I talked in an earlier post about how important it is to write the first draft without a filter. The first draft is for creation. Let the story bubble and burst forth. If there is a particular description you like, include it–if you think there is potential for a funny dialogue, write it. Leave the destruction for the editing phase.
I never plotted Charlie before I sat down to write, so everyday when I sat at my keyboard I would watch as the story unfolded. I rarely thought about what was going to happen in Charlie beyond the next day’s writing, and I believe that it helped keep Charlie fresh and natural. If I had plotted Charlie beforehand, I’d have struggled to make the story fit the contours of my outline. Instead I let Charlie breathe.
And in places I paid for it. The first time I sat down and read my manuscript upon completion, it made me almost sick. I had convinced myself that I’d written something worth writing, but the pages of Charlie were filled with rambling narration and out-of-place dialogue. The story crawled in the beginning, and why not? While writing Charlie, I had no direction in the first 50 pages. I didn’t know where Charlie was going, or why he was going there, and it showed.
But there was a lot of good in the early manuscript. The characters were compelling–even endearing at times. I found myself laughing out loud during long dialogues. And when the story finally revealed itself, it was engaging. What’s more, it was unique. I’d never read a book like the one I’d just written, and even through all the noise, I could see a gem.
So I edited. I knew what I hated about the book, so I struck it. I was heartless. Even pieces that I loved got cut if they didn’t build story. The pieces that did work in the story, I amplified. I worked to broaden characters, sharpen dialogue, and deepen plot. Where I saw recurring themes, I enhanced them.
Everything I lost from Charlie turned into back story. It’s all just something else I know about Charlie’s world that can help me tell his story better. It still exists, but I’m the only one who needs to know.
The main story in Charlie never changed. The arc remained more or less the same, but Charlie’s world underwent severe contractions and expansions. The first draft of Charlie was 95,000 words. The most recent draft is 76,000, but out of those original 95,000 words, I’d be surprised if 25% remain. I would imagine that I’ll lose more of those still before Charlie finds his way into print.
Thanks for reading.
