Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Close Edit

The block party earlier this week must have helped, because on Thursday I cranked past the scene that was troubling me, zoomed past the next one, and ended up getting through four chapters. Yesterday I took the day off to go for a 6K walk with Ibis along a path in Ixtapa (sadly, no pictures) and today I plan to get back into the edits as soon as I work out.

I'm in the middle of a scene that requires more shuffling than rewriting, but I am adding a small detail that will hopefully make the antagonist's actions a little more plausible. The action will take place away from the scene -- and beyond where the MC can see -- so I really just need to set it up. There will be torture involved, but I'll only have to write how the two guys appear when they return to the main group.

After that, I have one more big scene to rewrite. I changed one detail at the end of the first chapter that affects the rest of the story, so that's mainly what I'm fixing right now. I'm also watching for waffling on my MC's part, because in my effort to show him "growing" I think I made him TOO wimpy at the beginning, and he does a lot of flip-flopping between courageous and cowardly.

After this round, comes the close, detailed, poring-over-every-line round of edits. I've never done this before, so any advice would be much appreciated!

11 comments:

Spy Scribbler said...

I've been so behind that I've been a bit of a hack lately, LOL. Oh well. But I'm looking forward to the line-by-line bit. I've been toying with the vampire book slowly, and it's so fun to take one's time!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Spy, I finally feel like I'm over the hump on this round. I just hope that feeling holds up!

I can't wait to see how your vampire story develops.

Nadine said...

I'm so excited that editing is going so well!!

Unfortunately I don't have any advice, just keep rocking!!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Thanks Nadine. I think my biggest problem will be keeping my focus, to not start reading while I'm supposed to be critting each line.

Benjamin Solah said...

Sounds like you're going really well. It helps to hear of someone else editing, as I'm doing a bit of the same.

As for how to do those full edits, look out for a post of mine soon.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Ben, let me know so I don't miss it!

Benjamin Solah said...

It's already up, though probably not what I had in mind back then.

But it's how I did my last edit.

Penguin said...

I don't know if this helps or not.
But sometimes younger men going though extended tough situations will flip flop a little between bravery and cowardice.
I think it is part of the whole mental dealing thing, but don't quote me, I have no clue about these things.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Ben, I'll go check it out. I'm writing today's post now...

Melanie Hooyenga said...

Penguin, that does help me. The one reader who complained about all the waffling said it was the extremes that bothered him -- that Mateo would be literally trembling in fear, then he'd throw himself into a fight. He said it didn't add up. I'm toned down some of the whimpering to it hopefully sounds a little more authentic. He's still not an experienced fighter, but at least he's not quaking in his boots.

Janna Leadbetter said...

Huzzah!