Third drafts, I find, can be somewhat geological. With the
story and characters --mostly-- what they will be, I now come across veins,
lodes, and layers of theme and mood, character and development. Through rewrite and revision I can polish and
clarify, connecting and revealing these things. It’s like discovering secrets
within my own book. The third draft is also a good time for digging deeper into
historical research and map work—fine-tuning details of background and
location.
After this, in the
drafts that follow, a painterly metaphor might better describe the process—
working with subtle tints and brushstrokes that will bring out detail, shadow,
and highlights.
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