Rewrites are fun and annoying.
Image by Malcom McClinton
Rewrites, even if only a portion and not the whole thing, can be a pain in the butt. For one thing, it feels as if you're grinding your wheels, stuck in a gear, not moving anywhere. For another, it feels like you're going over ground you've already walked, and there's no forward progress anywhere in sight (this is especially daunting when a deadline looms...or zooms by).
Finally, a re-write makes you feel stupid. You think, "I must really suck as a writer, because I should've gotten this right the first time."
I actually like them, in some ways. Before a re-write, I'm plugging along, dutifully scribbling away, but SOMETHING lurks in the back of my mind, telling me something is off. I like the narrative, I like the characterization or a certain scene, but there's something....missing. Something is too slow, doesn't make sense, or is just plain illogical.
Though it burns the old ego a little to backrack, re-tred, and do something over, there's something satisfying in finding that taunting little "something" in the back of your head, (and then beating the snot out of it), tweaking it, nudging it, into something vastly superior. Three years ago, in the middle of the novel project that now resides half-finished on my shelf, I never experienced this, because I never finished anything, thus could never make it to third, fourth, fifth draft. What have I discovered?
I love rewriting.
Anyway. I've finished my re-write on Hiram Grange & The Chosen One, and I'm back on track.