Over the weekend I was busy making another pass through the second half of my book. I noticed that my editor was marking the same few mistakes consistently and wanted to clean them up before submitting the last half to her.
As I was reading through the chapters, I realized I still wasn’t satisfied with a section of what I had written. It had to do with the abduction of my protagonist. The circumstances felt bulky and convoluted. Moreover, I was afraid that some of the actions taken were improbable.
As I was sitting there thinking about what I could do, I had an epiphany. It was a completely new way for her to be abducted. Not only did it perfectly dovetail into the story already written, but it was a much simpler, streamlined solution. It was more in keeping with my main character, as well as my villain.
All it meant was that I had to completely rework five chapters and slightly alter another three.
I admit, a part of me balked at the idea. What a can of worms! Was I sure this was really necessary? But, the more I thought about it, the less satisfied I became with what I had originally written. The new idea made so much more sense.
Plus, it had the added bonus of preserving the pace of the novel. Really, once the heroine is abducted, nobody wants to read another three chapters before they get to the meat of the climax. It’s like having to take a detour just as you’re about to get home from a week-long road trip.
So, I took a deep breath, sucked it up, and rewrote eight chapters over the weekend. And you know what? Afterwards, I felt omnipotent!
Come to find out, it feels pretty good being master of the universe. (Even if it IS fictional.)
Satin Russell 