Click to enlarge and see the detail...Scribble, scribble, scribble, tap-tap, tappity-tappity, tap.
Yes, things are a little goal directed around here at the moment, but the good news is that the writing is going blisteringly well.
See, here’s the thing, towards the end of last year, I bit the bullet, trashed my piggy bank and sent my YA paranormal manuscript (MS) to a well-known writing agency in London to get an in-depth manuscript review. They came back with 18 pages of what didn’t work. Aaaargh! It was gutting, especially since so many of my writing and critique partners had said they really liked the story pretty much as it was. It took me a while to get over the filleting and to get my head around what the agency was saying without getting into a lather about it. I took their advice and just let the report and MS be until I felt ready to start working on the MS again. And now I am ready and boy how ready.
I’ve started the rewrite from scratch – in other words, although I have the original draft at my side, the writing has all begun again – which means that amongst other things, I’ve so far cut out more than half of what I originally had and I’m sure much more will go.
I think this is one of the most difficult things for writers, especially new writers – taking a hatchet to your work. It’s far easier just to tweak and twiddle than be really aggressive about it. Of course, those who know all say “don’t be afraid to take a knife to your work” but it’s easier said than done, after all, these words, the story they produce are your babies. Hours and months of writing went into creating them and now here you go shredding them.
The upside though is that what I now have is vastly improved – the story is tighter, the pacing is better, the whole thing more dynamic. My main character’s voice has changed, she’s become less introspective and thereby I do less “telling” and a lot more “showing” which keeps the story more vivid.
So the upshot is that while I was in a complete state about the writing agency’s report when I first received it, I can now see, despite my mutterings at the time, how spot on it actually was.
I should add, I’ve also had a fine time doing mountains of research, which I’ve just loved.
In other news – an update on Angela.
Her interview with my friend Tania – whose Dreamworker website is now up – went really well and they were delighted with each other. Angela worked her last day for me this past Wednesday and once she’s had her baby and is ready to work again, Tania will help her find a job that takes her well away from the clutches of “Mistress Pecksniff”. On that score, both Angela and I have the sneaky suspicion that Pecksniff’s business is in dire trouble. For one, staff members are leaving in droves as reality hits home. For another, clients are also leaving. In addition, Pecksniff has been unable to pay her staff, and has had to get her mother, who started and runs the Johannesburg branch, to come to CT to bail her out – including paying the staff. Perhaps it’s a case of what goes around comes around.
As someone once said to me, all you need is a tiny light to chase away the darkness.
And as for all things guinea fowl… Ms Bo is thriving and growing and has reached the stage where she’s looking decidedly vulturine – she’s lost her face and neck feathers, she’s growing her comb and wattles and her face is starting to turn blue. She’s still undersized but that’s just the way she is – she’ll probably never be as big as a normal guinea fowl, but she should get to at least three-quarter size. We’re still hoping that when she’s big enough not to be at too much risk from the local predators that we’ll be able to release her into the care of the Ba-Kaaka Nostra who visit her daily.
Ba-kaaka Nostra, on patrol...Right, now back to the rewrite!
