Thursday, March 7, 2013

Overhaul

Just a quickish post today. I'm doing a complete overhaul of my very first novel. Yes I am. Some may say it's like beating a dead horse and you should never look back. But this book is so special to me, and the idea has never been done. I think I can pull it off.

So, back to square one. I'm going through the entire novel, jotting down notes about what happens in each chapter. Then I will do some major cutting. I'll bring in the parts I need to and leave all the telling (oh my, how much telling there was Yoda!) out. Also, I'm changing the tense so I don't fall into old ruts...not that I would, but it will make it feel more fresh this way.

Going through, it's awesome to see how many new ideas I have. I've had plenty of separation time as well as learning time to see where I've left out things that could have injected the story with more personality and important detail. I'm excited to see how this will all play out. Lots of work ahead, but I'm happy about that.

3 comments:

Jenna Cooper said...

I know how you feel, I'm re-writing a novel right now. If an idea is good and you can salvage it, why not? It especially lifts me up to hear about John Green and how his ideas turn about so quickly. He re-wrote 95% of his debut novel that won a Printz award.

Kathryn Packer Roberts said...

I love that. That's so awesome.

NolaGirl said...

Hey girl...I miss our chats. Life has been crazy...my dad passed away and I'm trying to get it all back on track. I'll email you soon. Hope all is well.