Progress on my manuscript has stalled and I've been struggling to stay on course and plow my way through. Finally I violated every piece of advice I've gotten and started over!
Well, not exactly over in that sob-uncontrollably-burn-all-180-pages-and-stare-at-a-blank-Word-screen kind of way. But I am starting at Chapter 1 and reading my work with fresh eyes - not the eyes of the writer but the eyes of a reader - asking myself some simple questions.Does the story grip me from the first few pages?
Do I like the characters, both primary and secondary?
Are the secondary characters even needed?
Is the story progressing too slowly?
What are the conflicts between characters and within characters?
Does the plot have holes?
Is the theme apparent?
Are elements of the story cliched or trite?
Would I even want to read past Chapter 12 (where I'm stuck)?
Of course as I progress I've had to resist the tempation to make edits concerning:
Grammar,
Word choice, and
Sentence structure.
Those will come later. Right now this is a highlevel review where I need to figure out if the story even works and where it is going. Plotting is a major issue. I know the end of the story but not the nuances of the middle. Damn, damn, damn! I'm banging my head here.
But alas, no one said writing was easy.
5 comments:
You're doing a good thing, take it from moi who's just received a lits of revisions(read my blog). Nothing like a seven-page revision notes to burst your self-inflated ego.
Good luck with rewrites, honey. I may not stop by your blog for a while.
Bella
Wow. You're a brave woman. But that's really good.
For me, it's so hard to look at what I've written beyond grammar and style.
Good luck!
You're talking about Kelis and Pax? Just don't lose the sexual tension between them in the rewrites. That was the best part.
Right now it looks like we're all in a tough place right now. Keep and eye out, I'm sending you and Bella something by e-mail.
I know when I get frustrated I have to step away and when I come back and reread I get a lttle more perspective. But you're brave to start over! Good luck!
I had a problem with my pacing, and I did what your doing now. It does help.
I also decided to give up on the second book of my Winter Creek series because it didn't seem to be working. And decided to concentrate on a shorter book.
Hopefully I can get back to the Winter Creek one soon.
Like Chicki, I loved the sexual tension between Kelis and Paxton too.
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