on a roll

So, I'm for-real revising. I've moved things. I've added things. I've even deleted bits.

It feels good, but weird. The first couple chapters have been written for so long, so changing anything in them is strange. I think it'll be easier revising the newer stuff, just because I'm not as used to it.

I'm just excited to make things better. I really, really like this draft, but I know that there are some bits missing. (And not just the scenes I skipped over toward the end.) There are some things to change, some things to clarify.

I can't say that revision is the most difficult part of the process, but it's definitely a challenge. I shift between being convinced that what I've written is right and doesn't need any improvement and thinking that I'll never be done fixing it. And then, of course, there are the thoughts of impossibilities: How do I differentiate my characters' voices so that they don't all sound like the same person? How do I keep readers interested throughout the whole story? Throughout the whole series?

It'll be worth it, though. That's what I keep telling myself. Everything I do is making my book better. I hope.

I really don't want to put out something mediocre just because I'm so excited to get something out there. As much as I want to get started with ebooks, I want what I put out there to be great.

Truth? I'm totally jealous of Rachel, because she's farther along on the journey than I am. (Though she is busy watching Fringe of late, so maybe that'll give me some time to catch up.)

So, in order for me to get things done, I've got to stop watching Stargate SG-1 (Walter Bishop's in this episode!) and continue the revising process. Chapter two! I saw two bunnies today, which is an auspiscious sign.

cut or keep

Well, I've got a rough first draft of Awaking completed. Well, "completed" is perhaps the wrong word to us. I'm missing probably a dozen or so pages--I just skipped over them in favor of writing something over staring blankly at my computer screen.

I printed out all the pages I have so far, I've read through most of them, made some notes, corrected some errors, highlighted some hads...But now I'm to the point where I started skipping stuff to begin with. And I'm faced with the same question that plagued me before: Do I keep a character or do I cut her? In the original plan for this series, she had a definite role to play, but so many things have changed since then. I'm not sure whether she fits anymore. So I can't fill in the spaces now until I decide whether this character stays or goes.

I want her to stay, but I'm not sure if she'll just be taking up space if she does.

So, I guess I need to get into detail about the next two books to see if she has a definite purpose. I always tend to plan my stories out in broad strokes, allowing the characters to fill in the little things. But I don't think that'll work here. Since it's a trilogy, things need to be a bit more planned out.

Sigh. So not my style. But if it'll serve my purposes/help me writing these books faster/make everything better/cause bunnies to leap for joy, I'll do it.

So, I'm going to take an aspirin (woke up with a headache I've been hoping would go away but hasn't yet), perhaps get a scoop of ice cream, snuggle Fat Baby, and tackle this character conundrum.

Wish me luck.