Just thought I'd keep you updated on the saga saga - yes you read it right.
My w.i.p. has had a fairly extensive structural edit and is miles better for the work that has been done. The whole thing, from conception of the book up to now taken about four years!!! Whaaaa I hear you say - however, when I first wrote it many moons ago it was almost unrecognisable to the story it is today.
Since then, some of the names have been changed - a fledgling novelist who has Molly's and Polly's Milly's and Tilly's in their story can make life a bit confusing for the reader (I didn't have all of those names, but you know what I mean).
The plot has been ripped apart and re-stitched (my editor made sure you can't see the joins) reworked and polished 'til I need sunglasses to read it back. It's even had another edit since I showed a passage of it to my friends at the Writer's Workshop.
The characters have had a complete makeover and some of them have disappeared altogether (a couple I particularly loved, but they had no place in this novel) however, they will not be wasted as they were so overpowering they were in danger of taking over, so they will have a novel all of their own in the future.
It is now undergoing a line edit and part of the story was sent back to me to agree/disagree the edits and I must say I got such a buzz - there was a particular scene that brought a lump to my throat. I couldn't believe I had actually wrote this (I did believe me!!!!) and with the exclusion of a line here and there or a re-jigging of a sentence the whole scene was more poignant than I had dared to dream.
But I digress - as is my wont - If I had thought, all those years ago, that it would take this long to complete one novel I probably wouldn't have started writing it - but, we do not know these things, and our writing journey has many false starts taking us around many wrong turns.
However, I can honestly say, I have travelled this journey with hope in my heart and a gleam in my eye, each new discovery has been precious. And I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
TTFN
She :-)
The best journeys in life are the ones that take us the longest to travel :)
ReplyDeleteI just hope there's somewhere to sit down when we get there
ReplyDelete:-)
Thanks for your comment, Starlight,I really appreciate it.
Sometimes when you're piling words together you can forget that it all has to be finely tuned and polished before that mound of bricks becomes a building. I'm really enjoying my writing at the minute but I really can't wait to reach the editing / publishing stage like yourself. It must be so exciting to know that you're nearly there :)
ReplyDeleteWhichever way you look at it, every new edit makes it stronger - even if being 'there' does seem just out of reach. Great that you are enjoying it though Paul, that's what it's all about, and if someone else enjoys it too - wayhay!!!
DeleteSheila :)
Nice one Shirley. You're a bit further down the road than some of us but it gives hope. Keep us informed of progress
ReplyDelete