Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion FEELING A LITTLE SILLY!

Well, a really good poo could take a lot out of a girl!

Yes, I'm revising the book. I've had a good week or two of really solid work, and I've made tremendous progress. Yay! It's amazing what happens when you find your focus!

My big dilemma now is if I should do some major cutting and pasting because my strongest chapters are buried pretty far at the back of the book. Do I cut it up, do a "Pulp Fiction"-style narrative number on it to try to put my strongest scenes first for publishers to see? (Potentially weakening the strength of those scenes in the process...) Or do I put the baby to bed?

So in short, I'm either almost ready to send it to friends to read to set me up for a last edit, or I have TON of painful work ahead of me. Not sure which yet...

*sigh*

Thanks for asking!

Congratulations Kriston! That's some amazing progress!

Thanks! It's been a long time coming--4 years now from conception of the book idea. But the end is creeping into sight...S-L-O-W-L-Y...

I think you put the baby to bed - if it's the way you want it. Rather than cutting and pasting an entire book, seems to me the better option would be to focus on those early chapters until you're satisfied. Editors are amazing - they skim through several multi-hundred page books a night. Hey, just had a thought - will PM you.

I just have some really strong chapters near the end, writing that (I think, I hope...) is really powerful. A childbirth scene that makes me cry when I read it--and I do not normally cry at my own writing! That's a big deal! I'd love to get that into the first 50 pages for the editors to see because I think it could be what sells the book. But that means lots of chopping.

Still mulling...

I'm also considering just cutting out the first part of the book, dropping it entirely and starting more in the middle of the story. On a first book, you really have to wade through where the true start of the story is and figure out what was really prewriting that should be pruned.

I'm trying to be ruthless, for the good of the novel!

Sometimes I cry over my writing, but for other reasons.

LOL! BTDT, too!

I may be there and be doing that now, actually...

Neato, if you hadn't explained, most of us probably wouldn't have noticed... but you'd always be wondering who read that and what they thought! Of course if you look at the number of page hits here, then you might really be embarrassed!

Yes, it would be a little awkward. Now we can all have a little laugh and you are laughing with me not at me!
And yes, I am still asleep. I am sleep typing!

You're not on Ambien, are you? I guess sleep typing is better than sleep driving or sleep eating, but it could still get you into trouble!

Maybe that's why you typed about poo! You were sleep typing!