Fucking re-writing.

For the first time, I think Faerylander may become a real book.  For the first time I believe that a reader with a good faith level of suspension of disbelief could really enjoy this book.  There were always complications before, scenes that didn't quite work, motivations that didn't quite make sense.

But everything is finally started to come together.  The characters are finally consistent and the story finally flows.  There is still a little too much sideways movement, but nowhere near as much as there was before and not so much that -- as I said -- that a moderate good faith amount of Suspension of Disbelief won't make this a good read.

All because of Fucking re-writing.

Earlier:

Finished re-writing chapter 3 of Faerylander earlier today.   I'm going to try to start on chapter 5 (4 was done earlier) tonight and see how far I can get.

Fucking re-writing.  What an unbelievable pain in the ass.

So the first four chapters are done and sent off to be looked at by Lara.  I'm going to try to get a more people to look at these first 25 pages or so and see if I can't get them really, really polished. Anyone who's willing to help, I'm not proud.

I'm sort of determined to make sure these first 25 to 50 pages as good as they can possibly be.

Linda is gone for the weekend for a church event, so it's a good time to drink wine earlier, and work on the manuscript the whole evening, without the TV on.

Let's be clear.  I'm not in the mood to re-write.

Fucking re-writing.

Thing is, unlike first draft writing, which is fun and fulfilling, I don't think I'll ever be in the mood to re-write.  It will probably always be a matter of work for me --

So I just have to sort of force myself to do it.  The wine is my reward for doing it.



OK.  Started around 8:00.  Did a quick 10 pages, and I think I improved it dramatically.  I've got more of a relaxed feel going, which comes from knowing this is a final draft.  So there is no doubt that re-writing is a good idea. 

So from now on, I think that will need to be a requirement.  This re-writing.

Fucking re-writing.

It think the passage of time helps.  This is at least the sixth full re-write.

Fucking re-writing.

It also helps to finally have the story in the structure I want, so I can concentrate on continuity.

I almost hate to admit that re-writing is working -- because it kinda means I have to do it, whether I want to or not -- and I don't have fun doing it.  If it wasn't effective, or if I wasn't quite sure, I could dispense with it.  Tell myself that I need merely be creative and forget all that other stuff.

Unfortunately, it seems to be helping.

Fucking re-writing.

I've done the first 50 pages of the book and I think it works.  For the first time, really, Faerylander seems to work.

I believe if I can get the first fifty pages of a book right, then the rest of the book is manageable.

The story very different from the first draft -- which I started almost 3 years ago -- though it is pretty much what I more or less intended with the first draft, I just didn't know how to get there.

So this book is going to be presented to the world finally.  I think I'm finally ready.   When I've finished with the re-write and given another editing job and then yet another once over, I'm either going to send it off to agents and publishers, or put it only myself.  

The first 25 pages I'm going to try to get as much help as I can on for that purpose-- so that it is as good as it can possibly be.

Fucking re-writing.