So, it's been a while since I blogged. Why? I've had a lot on my plate, including re-writing my WIP. I did a major edit the last couple of months. I'll admit it. Re-writes are not my favorite. In the past, I'd finish a manuscript. Edit it. Send it out on submission and, after a few rejections, table it for the next. I never thought about re-working the structure of the novels because I really had no idea where to start. After some good advice and feedback on this most recent one, I realized what I needed to do.
The structure needed simplifying a bit. It had too much going on. Too many POVs. I did a new outline. Cut the chapters of any additional POVs and got to work. It was hard at first. Hard to cut some of those characters' insights. Hard to know where to start on the new sections. Finally, it began to take shape. It is much better. It took a couple of months of nose to the grindstone but was really worth it. It also gave the novel series potential. I saved all the cut chapters and will decide on what characters to focus on next for book two.
I'd been considering this a while but just needed a nudge in the right direction. I wrote about rejections being a good thing at times. Now, I'm ready to see if it'll lead me down the path to publication. Fingers crossed.
I'd love to hear from others. Have you ever undergone a major re-write on a novel? If so, what were the results?
Novel I just finished: Heroes are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Favorite song to write to: "Explosions" by Ellie Goulding
