A Question on Rewrites

I've officially gone back to my other wip.

[Note to self: start calling it by its name.]

Okay, from here on out, when I refer to my wip, I'm talking about After the Fall. Here's the ROUGH description:

A man dies during a home invasion/attempted rape in the first chapter, and the rest of the book follows his family and the family of the person he attacked. The families are very close and their friendship is tested as they try to come to terms with what he did and figure out what drove him to it.

I'm still working on the blurb, but that gives you an idea. It's very different from The Other Side, and I'm excited to work on something that takes place in Michigan because my dialect is the way they actually talk!

Now here's my question:

I hear a lot of writers talk about "doing a complete rewrite", and while I understand what that means, I'm curious about the actual process. Do you open a new document and start writing? Do you have the older file open (or printed & in front of you) and use it as a guide? Or do you write within the same document, and just cut, delete, and write as necessary?

I use the third approach while editing, but since I don't think I've ever done an honest-to-goodness "rewrite", I'm curious how others approach this.

An Overabundance of Goodness

The dream I talked about yesterday happened Monday morning, just before I woke up. Well, Monday got considerably better after that.

First, long-time readers know that we've wanted a dog for a very long time. We came close to buying one while we were still in Chicago, but held off since we knew a move was possible. Then last summer we were all set to buy a Chihuahua puppy, but decided that we really need to stick with a breed that doesn't affect my allergies.

I love Miniature Schnauzers -- my parents had two throughout my lifetime -- and Ibis actually likes them, too. No pressure from me, I swear! One of the neighbors whose yard we look into recently got a puppy, so the dog talk has increased in the past week. I made a deal with him that if we were still here on our anniversary (end of August) we could get one then, but then I changed that and said if he can find a Schnauzer we could get it right away.

I figured it would take him at least several days just to track one down, and that there could possibly be a road trip to a larger city in the near future. Mid-day Monday he headed downtown for the puppy search and returned half an hour later.

"I found two 20-day old puppies!"

He brought me to the vet's office where we held the teeny little puppies. We'd LOVE to have two, but realize it makes more sense (on many levels) to only get one. We can't bring it home for another 20 days, but we're already SO excited!

While he was off galavanting downtown, I was trying to come up with a title for my other wip. Since November 1st it's been called nanonovel08 -- very creative, no? I know a title isn't that important, but it was irritating me, especially since 2008 has been over for SEVEN MONTHS now. After hours of making lists and playing with a thesaurus (and visiting the PUPPIES) I found it:

After the Fall.

The story opens with a violent attack that leaves one man dead, and the remainder of the book follows two families as they come to terms with the events that lead to his death. Sort of a "fall from grace" type of thing, AND it takes place in the fall. Ingenious, I know. (yes, that's sarcasm.)

THEN, my mom emailed to tell me that a package from a friend arrived, so she will be sending us a care package that includes that package this week. Among the items are Erica Orloff's book Freudian Slip (which has traveled to two different states to get to me), Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper & a mystery gift from Sara, lots of goodies from my mom (including a tshirt for Ibis from the Champions League final that took place while they were vacationing in Rome). Plus some makeup and hair ties that I can't find here, and several magazines. Yes, I'm very excited.

As if all this wasn't exciting enough, around 6pm I received my first request for a partial! Squee! I've had five rejections so far with six "pending", so the fact that the request came from one of my top two agents really made my day.

To cap it all off, I scored 192 points on the word CRAZILY in Wordscraper on Facebook. :P

Don't you love days like that?

No Analysis Necessary

A couple nights ago I had one of those dreams where I was working at my old job, but it wasn't the same office, and while some of my former coworkers were with me, there were also a couple people from other times in my life.

Note: I love that about dreams -- it's a chance to see everyone!

So, I was at work, presumably in Chicago, but it was known that I was still in Mexico. I was talking with a coworker when the phone rang. The receptionist announced over the intercom that "Mexico" was on the line for me.

Note: It should really be "the United States", but dream logic doesn't always make sense. And really, at the very least, it should be a department calling.

I snatched up the phone. "Yes? Yes?" Did they have an answer? Would we finally learn our fate?

A woman began speaking in English. "We've reviewed your file and have found that everything is in order..."

My heart leapt.

But she wasn't finished.

She proceeded to speak legalese for another five minutes: "...contrary to what the documents stated, we're unable to determine..." blah blah blah.

I started crying and finally interrupted her. "Please. Just tell me yes or no."

And then I woke up.

A Writerly Meme

Janna and Natasha have both done this, and now it's my turn.

What was the last thing you wrote?
I'm working on a short story that's due at the end of the week. I'll post a link when it's up.

Was it any good?
It's different from other things I've written, but I'm starting to notice my "style".

Write poetry?
Haiku and limericks.

Angsty poetry?
Uhh, that would be a yes, but only in my teenage years.

Favorite genre of writing?
I have a really hard time labeling my writing. Is there a label lower than literary? Mainstream?

Most fun character you ever wrote?
The teenage-girl in my other wip.

Most annoying character you ever wrote?
I'll say me (in my memoir).

Best plot you ever wrote?
My other wip -- trouble is I haven't quite figured out how all the pieces come together yet.

Coolest plot twist you ever wrote?
Can a twist happen in the first chapter? Again, in my other wip, the plot is much more complex than in The Other Side.

How often do you get writer’s block?
I wouldn't say I get blocked, I just start procrastinating. The hardest part for me is getting started, and that is rarely because I can't think of what to say.

How do you fix it?
Lately, I bargain with myself. When editing, if I edited one chapter then I could check my email. Three chapters and I could check the gossip sites. When actually writing, the bargaining falls at at 500 & 1000 word increments.

Write fan fiction?
No, I kind of get the appeal, and while I sometimes think of other story lines for characters I like, I don't write them down.

Do you type or write by hand?
I've done both. My ideas seem to flow more organically by hand and I enjoyed writing my first draft that way. I tend to edit too much when typing.

Do you save everything you write?
Pretty much.

Do you ever go back to an idea long after you abandoned it?
I haven't been writing long enough to say "long after I've abandoned it." I have a couple short story ideas that I might go back to, and I would like to revisit my memoir, but not yet.

What’s your favorite thing you have ever written?
I should say The Other Side, but I'm so tired of it that I can't see it very objectively right now. I like the short story that was published. :)

What’s everyone else’s favorite thing you’ve written?
I have no idea. Anyone like to tell me?

Do you show people your work?
Once it's almost complete. With The Other Side I had various beta readers along the way, but my short stories I like to save until they're finished.

Did you ever write a novel?
Yes!

Have you ever written fantasy, sci-fi, or horror?
My current short story is sort of sci-fi light, and I attempted a horror short story based on the cockroaches in my kitchen cabinets. Nothing full-length and I don't have any plans to.

Ever written romance or teen angsty drama?
Teenage angsty romance drama. :P These days any romance that finds its way into my writing is more off-screen.

How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Technically just one. I'm going to start back with my other wip within the next week, once the short story is finished. I don't like working on more than one piece at a time -- same way I don't like to read more than one thing at a time.

Do you want to write for a living?
Sure, but realistically I know that may not happen.

Have you ever won an award for writing?
Is it bad that I can't remember this? I received a couple awards in high school and I'm sure there's a chance writing was involved with some of those, but as an adult, no.

Ever written something in script or play format?
I took a script-writing class in college, so yes. My favorite was an episode of Friends that my roommate and I wrote together.

What character you've written most resembles yourself?
I'd have to say the main character of my memoir, natch. Otherwise the teenager mentioned earlier.

Where do you get the ideas for your characters?
Nowhere in particular. Mostly from real life.

Do you ever write based on dreams?
No, but I should. I have a lot of really weird, vivid, detailed dreams. I thought about turning one particular nightmare I had last fall into a short horror story, but I'm afraid to write it.

Do you favor happy endings, sad endings or cliff hangers?
Unless I have the sequel on my shelf, I don't like cliffhangers. I like endings, whether they're happy, sad, or up-in-the-air. For the most part I get annoyed with endings that are too undefined, so I think it's amusing that I've written The Other Side that way.

Have you ever written based on an artwork you’ve seen?
A couple flash fiction pieces have been based off photos, including my current one.

Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
(I'm stealing Janna's answer) Shoot, yes. Anal-retentive much?

Ever written anything entirely in chatspeak (How r u)?
HELL NO. I recently stopped worrying about capitalization while chatting, but that's as far as I go.

Are people surprised and confused when they find out you write well?
I have no idea. I think people who don't know me well might be, but those who know me know that I'm creative, so I can't imagine it being very surprising.

Quote something you’ve written. The first thing to pop in your mind.
"When they passed overhead I thought back to the stories of my childhood, of my mother's childhood, when a hovering aircraft didn't instill fear in the souls of those it patrolled. Pretending to feel a joy I suspected I might never feel again, I smiled and waved, showing my mark with one hand while the terror slid around my spine."

One of the Locals

As the dark clouds rolled in and the thunder echoed off the mountains, I scurried outside to bring in the clothes drying on the line. The approaching storms don't always make it over the mountains -- sometimes we get the visual and auditory show without the rain -- but I get ready just in case.

I'm sometimes amazed at how much I've adapted to this environment, despite my constant grumblings about how everyone treats me like an outsider. I still panic when I hear thunder and quickly save whatever I'm working on, but now I also revert to Susie Homemaker and prepare the house for a tropical rainstorm (very different from those in the Midwest).

While out on the patio, I looked down at my neighbors and saw three different women doing the same thing. I guess I'm one of the locals whether they like it or not.

Beach Day

We had a very relaxing day at the beach yesterday. I met a woman who is both an avid reader AND is trying to get her doctoral dissertation published, so we had lots to talk about. Her husband likes the water as much as Ibis and they hung out most of the day beyond the waves. Oh! And I saw a little brown sting ray.

The first thing we noticed when we got there was that at least 20 yards of the beach was missing. Apparently, tropical storm Andrés that passed through here a couple weeks ago took most of the enramadas (open-air thatched-roof structures) as well as most of the beach.


There used to be seven or eight tables deep, and now there are only two. The waves revealed a slate/rock wall that must have been buried for years.

We just couldn't get over how different it looked. For one thing, we'd never noticed several palm trees that must have been in the center of the restaurant and are now almost at the water's edge. We sat at a table directly beneath them. I loved looking up and seeing all the green with the sky peeking from behind.


Shortly before we left, while I was talking with my new friend, our waiter pointed out a commotion at the far end of the beach. "La camioneta!" he exclaimed.


Indeed. I'm guessing they were trying to get the wave runner onto the bed of the truck and a big wave pulled it out. Whoops.

So how was your day?

Sweating the Small Stuff

It's officially summer in Mexico. I've known this for a couple weeks, but it truly hit me yesterday when I was putting fresh sheets on the bed and sweat was running down the side of my face. It is cooler when it rains, but that doesn't happen everyday, and it feels like we're inside a sauna during those times in between.

I tend to get aggravated when I'm overheated (as Ibis will attest to) and things that normally wouldn't be a big deal suddenly become the reason that life as I know it will never be the same. A bit dramatic, I know.

As I mentioned last week, I've started querying, and I'm thinking that maybe I should have waited until next week -- at the very least -- to send those puppies out. Aside from the eternal wait for news on Ibis' immigration, next week I'm finding out about something else rather big that I'm not going to get into here. Add to that the recent news that a dear friend has a brain tumor, and my stress level is much higher than normal. When that happens my anxiety kicks in and suddenly I can't breath very well.

Which brings us back to the weather. I don't know how many of you have asthma, allergies, or other breathing issues, but when the humidity level is hovering around 80%, it's particularly tricky getting oxygen into spasming lungs.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can calm myself when everything is out of my control? And please don't say "buy this" or "hang out at a cute little coffee shop." I need options that don't cost money or require a metropolis.