Just wanted to give a quick update on what I've been up to. For the past six months (no, I cannot believe I've been at it THAT long), I've been revising my beloved manuscript, Knights of Avalon, whenever I've had a spare minute. The thing is, between work and cat rescue, there haven't been that many spare minutes.
I have two big goals this time around:
1. Build more of an emotional connection between the reader and the characters, especially my main character Justine.
2. Strengthen character relationships.
That's a little edit, right? I can do that easy. No problem!
It's all about the emotion, people. Not having an emotional connection is like having a car without an engine. But, well, hrm, how do I put this gently... I'm no good at the emotional stuff! Apparently I suck at it more than a factory full of Dyson vacuum cleaners.
I am getting better though, bit by painful bit. Every revision has a little more emotion. And now I've been studying it, putting it under the microscope and figuring out the mechanics of building a connection with the reader, because some people do it naturally, and then there's me.
I hope to be done in a few weeks. When I am done, I'll do two things: 1) Post about what I've learned 2) Have another contest, because it's been way too long! BTW-If there's any particular book you'd like to see go up for grabs, let me know. If I don't have it, maybe I can get it. I definitely take requests when at all possible.
Oh, emotions...they suck anyway. ;) Writing emotions is hard because you never know when you've gotten it just right vs. when you've gone over the edge into too much emotion *cough*TWILIGHT*cough*. Getting someone else to read it can help.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your edits! :)
Thanks, I needed that. I can get so worked up when I edit, trying to get things just right. Sometimes I need to remember to chill.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm finally getting closer to striking the right balance though!