The Trendsetter

So, where am I?

Can’t you tell? I haven’t updated my blog since last month. This stage, where I’m now, hasn’t left me with much time for my blogging. But hey, I sneak in here to write for this month’s entry.

But, I mean, yeah, I’m still stuck in the revising stage of my manuscript. This is my, oh…third revision so far. I hope this will be the last one before I move on to the next stage.

I hope…

So why does revising take so long? Well, each writer has their own style and preferences. Some writers, who upon completing their first draft revise it once and then boom, it’s done and ready for the publisher. Some writers take time—say five months, a year or even two years to get their manuscript ready. Me? I want my manuscript to be revised once and then that’s it. I’m ready to pounce on agents!

Fat chance!

So why am I on my third revision you might ask? Well, this is kind of humiliating to reveal, but I want to share my experience so you, the new writer out there will learn from my journey in revising my novel.

But, first, don’t laugh. I’m serious. Remember in my previous blog entry that I hired the DH (without payment of course) to read my manuscript so he could give me feedback on the plot, characters, dialogue, everything?—not a small feat for someone who loathes modern fiction, pray that I don’t write chick-lit and never criticized a novel in his adult life.

So, would he be the right person to give me feedback? Absolutely! without a doubt. I’ve groomed him for years now about the elements of novel and hope that one day, when I’ve finally completed my manuscript in the English language, he could read it. I’d stopped writing since 2001 and consider myself a new writer again — and also because I am writing in a different language this time for the first time.

With the first revision he nailed me on the convoluted plot. I already fixed that and the dramatic scenes between the main characters and the villains were added. I deleted some hundred pages, but while revising the second time, it crept back to fifty pages more. I hoped the second revision would be a breeze.

It wasn’t.

After he read my second revision, I asked eagerly, “So, what do you think?”

He looked around for a second as if he is trying to find a place to hide or a helmet to wear or something. “You need to chop this scene, that one, all of these.”

I was speechless. “You want me to delete all these scenes?” I said. “But…but, these are the best scenes in this chapter!” We were only on chapter one. And to my horror most chapters have scenes that need to be chopped as well.

The DH rolled his eyes. “The scenes don’t help the plot move forward.”

“But I like these scenes,” I whined.

“Well, you asked for feedback. So…,” his words trailing with a rueful smile.

Instead of feeling grateful, I was mad at him. “You have to buy me cheesecake after this!” I cried.

“Me?” he said laughing. “Why should I be the one punished here? I’m just helping.”

Yeah right. But after a week of pondering, I got an epiphany. Yes! This is it. I know the answer why I was so defensive. I know the reason why I didn’t want those scenes to be deleted. My manuscript is still an author driven plot and not yet a character driven plot. I had fallen in love with the scenes! And I thought this was what the characters were supposed to do. But apparently, they’re not. I reread it again and he is spot-on. The scenes didn’t help the characters to move forward in reaching their goal.

So when do you know when you novel is an author plot driven and not a character driven plot? Evidently:

1. when you’re trying so hard to defend a cute scene or dialogue that doesn’t contribute to move the plot forward;
2. when you fall in love with your own scenes or dialogues that when someone else reads it they would say, “this is so out of character - delete it.” And you insist that there is nothing wrong with it;
3. you thought you are the main character!

With the insight that came at the right time, I was chopping like mad. Boom! Boom! Boom! And voila! The chapters read much better and I feel oh so liberated!

Now the DH is reading the third revision. “Do you want me to buy you a cheesecake now?” he asked.

“Can you add a black forest cake too?” I said with a sly smile.

Later he came back and bought fruit and more fruit. “This—,” he said. “—Will help you see your story better.”