Some people might say that revising a first draft is somewhat easier than writing a first draft from scratch. Hmmm, I guess it does depend on whom you talk to, and what that person is writing on at the moment.
Right now, I’m editing my second novel, The Ward Prince, which is what I describe as a modern-day fairy tale set in an insane asylum. It’s a fantasy drama with a little comedy thrown into it. Though I have brought the rewrite of this novel to its conclusion, I feel as though I have paced the last third part too fast. To this end, I’m highlighting areas that need further expansion and beating my brains out going about how to flesh out the ending.
Meanwhile, I have a friend whom I’m dying to show this revised draft to. She’s not bugging me for it, but she told me she was “annoyed” that the draft is incomplete. She read the first 80 pages of The Ward Prince, and at the time, I wasn’t done revising the draft. I originally gave the 80 pages to my boyfriend to read, but since our friend is an avid reader of novels, he passed the pages off to her. According to my boyfriend, the friend said she loved it!
It’s the perfectionist in me for a rough draft to be perfect. I know that what I should do now is remember that it doesn’t have to be polished – just concluded. And that I can give this draft to the friend in its less than stellar form, which I will.
Teresa Edmond-Sargeant 