Sunday, March 14, 2010

Edits & Endings

I like the new look to my blog. It takes so long for my phone modem to go through them that I simiply never changed the look.

Editing for a writer is tedious work. However, it has to be done, of course. I can't say how many times I've read through my novel. I'm sure at least a dozen times. And changes--possibly 100x's!

I had been chopping this monster novel down from the original 158K, down to 90,000. But I took so much out of it that it was no longer even interesting. I was trying for that number for a publisher who didn't take anything longer. well, couldn't live with a watered down version of this urban fantasy. There's just so much you can take out of a book, and I could see where I had gone long, I knew two characters had to go, and a couple of chapters, and with it probably about 5,000 - 6,000 words.

So, realizing that I couldn't live with the book at this length, I went for the 120,000 word count version.

After about two weeks of working back in certain scenes--I saved the cuts on an edit document. I don't throw nothing out--and adjusted paragraphs, or scenes where they went--that alone was tedious--and I re-wrote the ending, and found that what I finally came up with was a better manuscript. I could follow the main thread a little better, and even re-invented a few things, and rewrote some as well.

It's no unusual to have some head-scratching, walk-in-circles moments while trying to adjust scenes so that they make sense. I actually like the challenge.

This morning I ended the book having gone only a smidge over the 120K words I wanted. I figured after working on it so hard, I needed a break. I needed to begin work on the second book, while I await a publisher I sent a query to, and also I participated in a contest called "Dear Lucky Agent" and I'll wait to hear from that in about seven days. No, I won't win. I never win anything.

I've also gone to a couple of blogs. I've reciently joined author Kim Harrison's blog and site. She actually has a separate section called "How Kim Rewrites" where she talks about her writing. There's supposed to be one on how she outlines, but I couldn't find the link to that one yet. Maybe another day.

I also went to Marissa Farrar and Nicol Hadaway's new site called "Something Wicked This Way Comes". I love it! Very imaginative! I can see the two ladies put some work and thought into it.

So, I've worked on my book, Vampire Ascending for about three years, I took time away to work on the sequil to my light fantasy book, but I came back to this one, since the vampire market is so strong right now, I thought if I don't try and put this one out there, I'll have lost the opportunity to do so.

I'll come back to blog about it again, with up-dates.

2 comments:

  1. I love the new look! Fantastic! It makes me want to keep reading that's for sure. Great choice. Glad to hear you're working away, even if it is on a different book! Good luck!

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  2. Hi, Heather, and thank you!

    Did you keep the header that had the woods, or are you? I liked that one the best. Love the artwork. Wonderful and very talented artist.

    I was just at Kim Harrison's site. I just can't read through all the replies to her stuff--it's unreal. Will we ever get to that point? She shows picture of her newest release, next to Patterson's and Rove's books. I loved some of the comments there about this placement.

    I'm trying to stay on task, but it's been hard. However, I find that if I allow myself to just rest my mind, I'll have better ideas.

    I went to check out VampChix, found something about Fallen Angels and BOOM! something clicked for me in my second book that helped me out a lot. So, surfing isn't bad, if you keep to your themes, and whatever helps you.

    Well, I should go back to it. My husband will be back home soon, and then tomorrow I begin work week *sad*.

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