Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Missing Piece

Last night, I forced myself to do some more editing. Every now and then I get in a mood where I think that now amount of edits will save this book, I might as well give up, there's no point.

But that's not what happened. Instead, I found myself adding to a scene where one of the characters (Reika) was alone with Eddie, who was asleep. At first, I put in some details but then I realized Eddie should stay asleep for a little longer, leaving Reika alone with her thoughts, which she hates. In just a few paragraphs, I managed to flesh out the character and highlight the struggles she's going through that no one sees. Looking at the finished product, I was pleased.

So yes, despite my frustration with editing, it is a great tool. I found what that scene was missing and there is no greater feeling! Okay, maybe getting published and all that. But this was still awesome. The only problem is how hard it is to find the missing piece. I only hit on it because I've gone through this book, adding and subtracting, fixing and polishing, a million times and I thought to myself "What if I add inner monologue?"

There's no way around it! You have to keep going through your books again and again and again and again! Write things down, take them out, make a note, come up with new ideas!

It can get...tedious. But for those moments when I read back what I wrote and sense completeness, but perhaps not perfection...I'd do anything.

4 comments:

  1. Awe congrats on your revelation! I need one of those lately.

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  2. One step at a time to make it the way we want it!
    Have a good day.

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  3. most days I hate editing - other days, I love it. So I save it for when I love it or simply need to do something to stop my brain from rotting away and the work getting stale and flat - when that happens I'll go the way of Hem - I think he had it right.

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  4. Yay! Progress! It's the best! (Except when it's not, but we don't talk about those times.)

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