'

Wednesday, 16 March 2022

A New Revision Project Begins...

 

Hey! How are you? Staying busy? I've been feeling a little wonky this week, which is something that happens to me every time the season changes. I can't handle the hot and cold at different times of the day. Although we didn't have the best summer, I'm not looking forward to winter. It's my least favourite season. Ugh.

Anyway, after a three-week (sorta) break, it was time to get stuck into my next Revision Project. This time it's a dark fairy tale about loneliness, being misunderstood and madness. 

Here's how it went:
  • Monday: 42/135pgs (51,854w)
  • Tuesday: 94/129pgs (48,122w)
  • Wednesday: 126pgs / 46,225w

As you can see, I finished the second draft today. Yay. 

This is a story that I wrote in November 2018, during NaNoWriMo. At the time, I was really excited about how the dual POVs complemented each other and seemed to reveal the very dark truth simultaneously. But after being away from the story for several years, I've realised that what I thought was a great concept is actually the reason why the story isn't going to work. 😬

As soon as I got started, I realised something was missing and I'm pretty sure it's the fact that these dual POVs feel like two very different stories that simply don't fit together. Actually, the more I revised, the more one of those POVs lagged behind. I think that the only way to fix this story is to cut half of the narrative out and concentrate on the voice/narration that really works. Because one of the POVs really worked, while the other kept throwing me off.

So, I guess that's what I'll be doing next week when I work on the third draft. Also, it looks like this novel will end up being a novella. Just like last month's revision.

I always like to leave a bit of time between novel/novella drafts, but putting them aside for too long has its own strange consequences. On one hand, it helps me look at the story objectively and I can spot what doesn't work and why. On the other hand, too much distance means the initial spark of creativity is gone and I end up being extra judgy. 

Actually, I think both of those consequences are good things.

I'm going to put this aside until next Monday. Looks like I have some thinking to do. Nah, I'm pretty sure which direction I'll be taking...

Have a great week! 😊

No comments:

Favorites More