Editing (Part 3) - Underwriting/Overwriting

 I've had a really busy week with sports so I didn't have any time to write. Any free moment I had, I felt physically and mentally drained and couldn't contemplate doing more editing. With school starting in one week I hope to get a lot done within the second little while before my life becomes too hectic again.

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I came across these two videos talking about authors who underwrite and overwrite, and I decided that I wanted to share how I deal with it. Authors fall into two categories, writing too much and having to cut back in the editing phase, or writing bare bones and needing to add word count in their edits.

Over the years I have become less obsessed with word counts, but it is still always at the back of my mind whenever I am writing. I can never predict how many words it will take for a scene or description. Therefore I worry that I will underwrite. My usual method is to shut my brain off and only worry about those things later when I have it written.

I do tend to underwrite because when I am excited and in the zone of writing I am so focused on getting all my ideas on the page that I don't give enough description or action. Instead it is mostly dialogue and the emotions of my main character. Then, after I go back, I add in what I am lacking and I remove most of my main characters emotions because I try to imply what she is feeling through dialogue and action.

This is also because I hate to delete stuff I've written. It takes time for me to construct a vivid description or a funny one liner so I wait until I know what I need before I add it. I am a firm believer that I won't do the work unless I need to. 

It is interesting to look at how authors have dealt with this as well. For example, Victoria Aveyard overwrote her book considerably and was forced to do many revisions before her novel was ready for publication. There are pantsers (aka people who do not outline) who tend to overwrite because they have many unnecessary scenes, or underwrite because they neglect description and foreshadowing. Without an outline to guide them it is harder to predict what is necessary to the story and what is superfluous.

But as a writer, it's as though I want someone to tell me that I'm writing too much or too little, but this sort of thing is also part of a writer's style. Some authors do have a lengthier writing style while some are direct and concise. There is nothing wrong about either method as long as the story is entertaining and well paced.