So far, I have learned a few things as I attempt to edit draft 1.
It really helps to take as long as you break as possible between finishing the draft and editing the draft.
BUT! Keep notes.
My brain is like a sieve on the best days. I would think of what I wanted to change or adjust, and want to immediately jump in and do it. I’ve had much better luck writing down notes of what I want to change or add and then going back to it.
Make sure you spend some time writing something every day. The more practice, the better, right? I also found that some of that writing led me to come up with ideas for the draft I already had.
A map is probably going to be important. I’ve discovered I forgot some of the places I had written about. Or at least where they were in relation to other places. I had to create a rough map to work on draft 2 so I could keep places and time straight.
And apparently, some characters decide they have a different role after sitting for a bit. Seriously. I’ve got one character who has become more important, so I need to add scenes with him. And another character who might be the actual protagonist, but that isn’t how I originally wrote the story.
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