The Manuscript - Part 2
In which The Writer gives an insight onto the first draft edits of Looks Real Good Now
Last time I talked about my first draft process and what I did and didn’t need in order to get it done. In this post, I briefly mentioned that I needed a red pen in order to work on the edits to get the shitty first draft into a more cohesive and less shit second draft which then becomes an even better third draft.
Now, I am going to give a little insight into how I edited Looks Real Good Now, which was in some ways similar to Thing 2 but then also was very different to Thing 2. The main difference being that I kept a little diary of sorts on how I felt after each editing session and also in a bid to remind myself that I didn’t actually hate this book I made a note of my favourite line from each session.
Second draft edits took around a month and I am going to split this post into two so that I don’t completely monopolise your time in one go.
So, here are my thoughts and ramblings as I made it through the editing process and also, some snippets and sneak peeks of Looks Real Good Now (out December 3rd, available to pre-order now)
23/01/24 - Chapters edited: Prologue and Chapter 1
Favourite Line - I was willing to take her ribbing me for life just to know that she was by my side.
Thoughts - felt good to get back into the book and fall in love with these characters a bit more now that I feel I know them better
- Did find it a bit difficult to find my way back into it. Felt too precious about previous words.
26/01/24 - Chapters edited: 2-8
Favourite Line - I may have avoided the man himself, but I knew the exact location of every one of those billboards
Thoughts - Getting into the set up of their relationship is fun - found out that small tweaks I thought about making had already been made
- good to play with their flirting/banter a bit more - can add new layers to it now that I know them a bit better
- a lot of what had previously been written still felt like it stood up well - didn’t feel as extensive a rewite as the first two chapters
29/01/24 - Chapters Edited: 9-12
Favourite Line - Although flustered Liam was one of my favourite Liams I didn’t want him to be subjected to that when I wasn’t around to protect and deflect
Thoughts - managing to hone the balance between easy flirting and trying to maintain distance, especially on Alana’s side.
- I forgot how quick to the other one’s defence they were - love that about them, really need to see if I can ramp that up a bit
- finding it less sticky and am able to look at the words and judge if they serve the story better
- the slow burn of sexual tension is proving fun
30/01/24 - Chapters Edited: 13 & 14
Favourite Line - I don’t think Lenny had ever called me pretty before. I don’t think she had ever commented on what I looked like
Thoughts - This was the most extensive editing session so far - experienced some resistance to crossing out paragraphs and pages
- certain parts felt stickier as I had to firm exactly what the vibe I was going for was
- needed to clear up the terms of their date and now that flows easier
- know that the next chapter entails- already feeling some apprehension as it has the potential for an extensive rewrite as I firm up the intention and purpose of it
31/01/24 - Chapters Edited: 15
Favourite Line - In fact he was probably more attractive now than he had been when we were teenagers
Thoughts - Chapter wasn’t as hard I feared - managed to make it more obvious how much they want to take care of each other
- I really enjoy writing their dynamic and the quiet moments between them
02/02/24 - Chapters Edited: 16 & 17
Favourite Line - I don’t tend to want to spend time with people who make it a habit of talking shit about my best friend
Thoughts - I hit the section where I basically bullshitted my way through it just to move forward and had the opportunity to tighten up the dynamic - laced another date in that has the potential to be a bit spicy
- a lot of elements that I am still quite proud of
06/02/24 - Chapters Edited: 18 & 19
Favourite Line - It had always been one of my favourite things about Lenny, the way she viewed my life off the ice as just as, if not more, important than my life on the ice
Thoughts - Oh Aaron was hard to figure out. Not quite got his voice right and had to change quite a bit about the chapter
- feels like there is still more to give in that chapter - Aaron could be a potential 3rd book MMC??? (Spoiler alert: he will not be, but I might give him a love story eventually)
07/02/04 -Chapters Edited: 19
Favourite Line - I was having way too much fun making Liam pout and whine. If I kept it up I could probably get him to beg
Thoughts - part of this was hard to figure out but overall had a good time editing this chapter - starting to ramp up the sexual tension and getting both characters onto the ice
- this is the set up for the rest of the book tbh which is quite scary to think…
08/02/24 - Chapters Edited: 21 & 22
Favourite Line - A calm I didn’t even know I was missing until it came back to me
Thoughts - Oh this felt so sticky - struggled to figure out what exactly I wanted these chapters to mean
- needed to ground them more and found parts of it clunky and hard - went on a lot of unnecessary tangents
- did still enjoy writing their banter and showing the small ways they care for each other - looking forward to furthering that
09/02/24 - Chapters Edited: 23
Favourite Line - Saying yes to this didn’t have to be complicated
Thoughts - I thought this would be easy and fun but ended up having to do quite a substantial rewrite in parts because I had to get it match up with previous rewrites
- also because it was unexpected I wasn’t in the mood for (this chapter is spicy) so I found it hard to find the flow - had to really work to make sure that I didn’t break up the action with too much talking
Jumpin’ Jumpin’
What I’m reading - My ARCs list is getting a tad out of control and just when I think I have it under grips I get a flurry of approvals and suddenly I am back where I started. I AM making a dent in the list and am hoping by the end of July I can say that I am completely caught up and now that I’ve put it on the internet I must not make a liar of myself…
ARCs read - Out of Office - A.H. Cunningham (out today), Yours, Unexpectedly - Rachel Lewis (out May 28th), Kilt Trip - Alexandra Kiley (out today)
Other books - Black Sheep - Brynne Weaver & Alexa Harlowe, MateHub: Legend - Marie Reynard, Well and Truly Pucked - Lauren Blakely, In The Weeds - B.K Borison
Currently Reading - Riding the Sugar High - Letizia Lorini (out tomorrow)
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What I’m watching - The Fortune Hotel is kind of perfect if you want something to fill the hole left by The Traitors. As long as you are fine with wanting the jealously and the deep seated urge to fly to the Caribbean. Fun fact, this show is filmed on Grenada, which is my island.
What I’m listening to - Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish took a few listens for me to really get in to but I am firmly locked in now and fully enamoured with the ride that is L’AMOUR DE LA VIE
Title Inspiration - I’m repeating titles, so it’s still The Manuscript - Taylor Swift