Still revising my YA novel (Chapter 9 out of 25, not 20 as I incorrectly stated in an earlier post) and making some interesting discoveries. I'm sure every novelist faces this, but since this is only my second attempt (and the first one anyone will ever see beyond the confines of my house), it's a real eye-opener for me. Of course what I'm talking about is the realization that the novel might not be about what I originally thought it was about.
That's both exciting and unsettling. It's exciting in that I'm discovering deeper themes, more complexities in my characters, making for (hopefully) a stronger story. But it's a little unsettling knowing that maybe this great scene/confrontation/battle I wrote into the first draft might be drastically changed or maybe even scrapped. In a way, I guess it's like the old adage about sculpting David from a block of marble. How do you sculpt David? Cut away everything that's not David. Even if that means cutting away a pretty cool piece that looks exactly like Paul or Moses.
But save that piece of Paul, that bust of Moses. They might come in handy some day.
2 comments:
I'm always amazed at how much the bust of Paul can be made to look like, say, John the Baptist without too much extra work. Very useful stuff to hang on to. I have torn myself up about the cool scenes I was going to have to get rid of, but really you just have to write the best book you can. (Wow, such profound advice. I don't think anyone has ever said that before.)
Copyright it quick!
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