As an illustrator, working primarily in ink, I sort of do the same: do a sketch on paper to start, then trace over it, then trace over THAT, before I lay the ink down
That is so fascinating Randy. I work with writers so I only see how they get the work done, but you are right that illustrators, painters, sculptures create preliminary drawings, sketches - maquettes! Prototyping first.
I couldn't bring myself to delete, but I did a 'strikethrough', paragraph by paragraph, and it is surprisingly liberating to rewrite in a blank file, then paste the new version back in to replace the 'struck-through' paragraph. It works!
I am so trying this! I already have a print out of a paper (that I am in a really stuck place with) which I have annotated, edited etc by hand but I am finding the thought of typing my edits back into the original document really uninspiring. I like the idea of writing it from afresh into a new empty document but without having to do it from memory. Let's see how it goes...
I can't wait to hear how it goes. For me, this tip is about creating space or perspective between drafts. It is painful to retype a bad sentence, so we make it better. Having the blank page is essential - when I edit an existing draft, all I do is tweak and tinker.
This is a fascinating approach, especially trying to generate the feeling that you’re starting afresh. I got a similar feeling when I typed up the first drafts of stories I had written in notebooks years previously. It was like sifting through treasure and ephemera and surprising myself.
Thanks Louise, you’re right that typing up from handwritten is a similar effect. I loved how Oliver spoke about that blank page feeling. There is something weighty about revising - I end up tinkering rather than properly editing. Changing mediums or format gives us that perspective.
As an illustrator, working primarily in ink, I sort of do the same: do a sketch on paper to start, then trace over it, then trace over THAT, before I lay the ink down
That is so fascinating Randy. I work with writers so I only see how they get the work done, but you are right that illustrators, painters, sculptures create preliminary drawings, sketches - maquettes! Prototyping first.
I couldn't bring myself to delete, but I did a 'strikethrough', paragraph by paragraph, and it is surprisingly liberating to rewrite in a blank file, then paste the new version back in to replace the 'struck-through' paragraph. It works!
This is great Margaret - I love how you took the tip and tweaked it to work for you. Here's to striking through!
I am so trying this! I already have a print out of a paper (that I am in a really stuck place with) which I have annotated, edited etc by hand but I am finding the thought of typing my edits back into the original document really uninspiring. I like the idea of writing it from afresh into a new empty document but without having to do it from memory. Let's see how it goes...
I can't wait to hear how it goes. For me, this tip is about creating space or perspective between drafts. It is painful to retype a bad sentence, so we make it better. Having the blank page is essential - when I edit an existing draft, all I do is tweak and tinker.
This is a fascinating approach, especially trying to generate the feeling that you’re starting afresh. I got a similar feeling when I typed up the first drafts of stories I had written in notebooks years previously. It was like sifting through treasure and ephemera and surprising myself.
Thanks Louise, you’re right that typing up from handwritten is a similar effect. I loved how Oliver spoke about that blank page feeling. There is something weighty about revising - I end up tinkering rather than properly editing. Changing mediums or format gives us that perspective.
It definitely does. Printing out, editing by pen, going to a different space all work (and changing time of day maybe 😬)