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Marjorie Liu

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On rewriting your darlings…

Aug 18 Marjorie

I’ve hit a glitch in the current book I’m writing, which means I’m going to start from the beginning and write the whole thing over again.  This is not as horrible as you might imagine, and in fact I typically rewrite all my books several times before I send them to my editor.  And when I say rewrite, I mean, write them all out again and again, starting from the first word on the first page.  This is, incidentally, how I often handle severe writer’s block.  Because if something isn’t flowing, chances are the problem is in the story.  My problem is that I can’t often see the problem unless I’m moving inside the story.  Novels are large creatures, with many bits and pieces holding them together.  I find it routinely helpful to examine my little monsters from the tip of their noses to the ends of their tails. 

Hence, rewrites.  Start from the beginning, type everything fast—which usually results in layering in yet more details, more dialogue—and then hopefully by the time I reach the problem area I’ll have veered off into a completely new direction, or else I’ll have some good idea of what to do next.  I usually have to do this about three or four times per novel, and it is also useful for revisions, as full type-ins allow me to see my book in a whole new light. 

And yes, it does eat up time.  Honestly, though, I’d rather be at my computer rewriting than sitting there staring at a blank screen with nothing but static in my head. 

In other news, I shipped off the final (I think) version of the X-Men novel.  Hopefully I’ll be seeing cover art soon.  I also received my revision letter for Shadow Touch, and will be working on that this weekend.  Good times, good times.

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About Me


I write comic books and novels about grumpy warrior women, eccentric demons, plucky fox girls, and men who can shape-shift into tigers. If a merman or gargoyle shows up, all the better!  To learn more about me, please go here.

For The Media

My agent is Duvall Osteen. Please contact her for any business-related inquiries, including publicity and blurb requests, and speaking engagements.

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