I spent last Tuesday getting pleasantly sozzled with Tara - the sozzling didn't start until after she had given me a really thorough and helpful critique of TRF. One of her suggestions involved such a major re-write that I couldn't countenance it - even though I feared she might be right. Actually, she suggested returning to a strictly chronological version - which was what JM told me to unpick, so although I didn't think Tara was wrong (she says, writing this carefully in case Tara is reading it!) I thought perhaps this was a matter of taste... what her critique did was to start a few hares running in different directions. She said Leo was a wimp, why did Lucy take him back? Good question, and that gave me some ideas, to "man up" the character a bit more, to make Lucy have a big row with him, and perhaps add some more jeopardy for both of them - hers of a domestic nature, his involving something jungly... we'll see. Lucy has to be different at the end - not just wimpily accepting the situation... but... but... it may not be so easy. Pride may be involved - as a theme I mean, not my own pride.
At the moment I am working on the re-write, slowly and carefully - and I think I've got it... rather like my discovery that "slow writing" works best, a really slow, careful re-write/edit is a wonderful thing... I am hoping to spend most of March doing this and researching agents/publishers. In my dreams the next submission will be "the One" - well, it might be. Anyway, she also lent me the current W&A yearbook - so I am well equipped to do battle.
I have stopped feeling frantic about Vol 1 - because I can't work on them simultaneously, at least I don't think I could. I expect the interest in WW1 won't disappear just like that, as soon as 2014 is over... so a calm re-do of TRF - send it off and return to Vol 1 - which I am sure will benefit. Although it needs less work, the structure is pretty conventional - and David really does change in the course of the book - it may need more engagement/dialogue between the two of them. But enough - sufficient unto the day....
At the moment I am working on the re-write, slowly and carefully - and I think I've got it... rather like my discovery that "slow writing" works best, a really slow, careful re-write/edit is a wonderful thing... I am hoping to spend most of March doing this and researching agents/publishers. In my dreams the next submission will be "the One" - well, it might be. Anyway, she also lent me the current W&A yearbook - so I am well equipped to do battle.
I have stopped feeling frantic about Vol 1 - because I can't work on them simultaneously, at least I don't think I could. I expect the interest in WW1 won't disappear just like that, as soon as 2014 is over... so a calm re-do of TRF - send it off and return to Vol 1 - which I am sure will benefit. Although it needs less work, the structure is pretty conventional - and David really does change in the course of the book - it may need more engagement/dialogue between the two of them. But enough - sufficient unto the day....
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