Finally I’m making better progress on my current book, and it’s very satisfying to be doing so.
I had to
go back to the beginning and start again. This didn’t mean I dumped everything
I’d previously written, it meant that I got the focus right: now the main
character isn’t just narrating the story, as he was before, but the story is
focused on him as well.
He doesn’t
just do ‘stuff’ in the story – the story doesn’t exist without his actions, and
in fact we’ve learned that he’s the cause of something in the plot he wasn’t even
aware of in the previous two drafts.
Is all
the material I wrote previously thrown out the window? Nope. I’ve just spent
the last couple of days revising a chunk of the previous material because I’ve
reached the point where it’s being sewn back in. It’s not being sewn in as it
was, but with the new or different earlier chapters taken into account.
With some
regret the major opening incident in the two earlier drafts has been removed. But
with it in place there was too much collapsing of ‘buildings’ going on, and in
the first instance, without any point. It was an exciting way to start, but it
didn’t connect with the rest of the story.
It’s
important to remember, as you read this, that I’m still no more than a few
chapters into the book. The most chapters I’ve written in any draft has been
seven. Many of the ideas and characters that arose out of the writing have
survived and will be used as I move forward.
I opened
my file the other morning to find a letter from some of the characters saying they’re
grateful that the author has taken the time to consider their concerns, and that
he’s attempting to wind a stronger story around them.
Just kidding…
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| Children making a sandcastle, Brighton Beach, South Australia. |
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