Maybe this means it's actually original.

Wrote the fourth chapter new.

So funny thing about how it came out: it's sort of a Gothic romance chapter. The two main characters "meet cute." I get a little sappy--at least, as sappy as I get.

Now this was built into the story. I knew that it was one half hard-boiled detective and one half Gothic romance, or at least my version of it.

But it occurred to me that anyone who likes Gothic romance won't probably get through the first 3 chapters and anyone who likes hard-boiled detective probably won't like the fourth chapter.

Oh, well. This is the book. And maybe this means it's actually original.

One thing about starting over is that it has become readily apparent the whole book flows in a much more consistent way. Not as many shifts in tone as would have happened if I'd tried to cobble it together from existing pieces.

Every chapter it becomes a little harder not to say to myself, "Well, this chapter was pretty much OK, why not just use it?"

But I am determined to see this through. All fresh, no reference to the previous version. So the chapters are coming out as both fresh and also similar to the first draft.

As I said yesterday, it does seem to add a lot more telling details. I'll be writing a passage and think, "I'm pretty sure my previous version of this passage was better..." but the cool thing about that is that I will be able to compare them side by side and pick the best.

It's all extra work, but I've decided that no one is waiting for my next book, so I may as well embroil myself in my current work. Spending more time with the story and the characters can only help.