May 28th, 2007
After a very busy week last week and the holiday weekend away visiting family, I’m on the verge of undertaking a type of manuscript revision I’ve not tackled before. I’ll be taking one of my young adult manuscripts that is written in third person and rewriting it in first person. I’ll be sad to see my teenage hero’s point of view go bye-bye, but hopefully I can craft the revision so that everything that is revealed in his head or in scenes from his POV will be revealed through dialogue or action. I’m hoping it’s not as onerous as it seems at this point. Guess I’ll find out when I dive in.
Have any of you writers done this type of revision before? How did you do it? Was it difficult? Any tips?
May 29th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I haven’t done a full manuscript that way. I did start something in first, convert to third, then went back to first, but it was only 50 pages or so. I think it’s harder the other way–you should be okay to go third to first.
May 29th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
I hope you’re right, Natalie.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:28 am
I had an editor request a change on an 8,000 word short story — first to third. It. Was. Hard.
Honestly POV really does make a huge difference in how the story reads. And, as I’m sure you realize, it’s not just a pronoun change.
You’re losing a whole POV … that is going to be a challenge! Good luck.
June 1st, 2007 at 7:33 am
Hi, I just started reading your blog when I saw this challenge you have on your hands. It would be very interesting to see the before and after writing because it really will be very different.
Good luck!
June 4th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I’m doing this too with a YA manuscript. I only have one POV–I wrote it in close third, but it really needs to be in first.
I’ve been tackling it scene by scene. I don’t even attempt to change the original. I use the print out as a guide, but I’m writing a brand new draft, all of it, all over again.