Today I have been working on the first 4 chs. of GATD - ironing out the inconsistencies, working up one or two more scenes and trying to make the tone a bit more consistent.
I have done very little, firstly because of being ill, secondly going back to work. I find writing harder when I'm working, I miss the early morning woozy, stream on consciousness that one can just set down. And I miss the sense of freedom to write all day if I want to. Also, Finn's GCSEs are occupying my mind. Nevertheless I am learning to say "I have 90 minutes, let's see what I can do."
The problem I am addressing is the "narrator" - there is a bit of narrator going on - I like this, an editor at John Murray said it was a good device and allowed for more humour. It does! but there is potential to get it tangled with the characters' POVs... however, I was suggested out of a narrator in TRF by the lost agent - it may be better for that, but it definitely lost some of its humour. Comments that are obviously wry in the mouth of the narrator can be less effective in a character's mouth - or even seem plain wrong. A great deal of the Jane Austen/Barbara Pym type of humour does come from the narrator... bring her back now!
If I can get it right, I can probably tough it out, when I'm asked for a re-write. But this is a long way off. At the moment, the idea that I might finish by the end of June looks ludicrous - I'm still on about 15,000 words... 2 more school weeks, then about 5 non-school (I hope) weeks. That said, I am pretty happy with chs 1-4 now.
I have done very little, firstly because of being ill, secondly going back to work. I find writing harder when I'm working, I miss the early morning woozy, stream on consciousness that one can just set down. And I miss the sense of freedom to write all day if I want to. Also, Finn's GCSEs are occupying my mind. Nevertheless I am learning to say "I have 90 minutes, let's see what I can do."
The problem I am addressing is the "narrator" - there is a bit of narrator going on - I like this, an editor at John Murray said it was a good device and allowed for more humour. It does! but there is potential to get it tangled with the characters' POVs... however, I was suggested out of a narrator in TRF by the lost agent - it may be better for that, but it definitely lost some of its humour. Comments that are obviously wry in the mouth of the narrator can be less effective in a character's mouth - or even seem plain wrong. A great deal of the Jane Austen/Barbara Pym type of humour does come from the narrator... bring her back now!
If I can get it right, I can probably tough it out, when I'm asked for a re-write. But this is a long way off. At the moment, the idea that I might finish by the end of June looks ludicrous - I'm still on about 15,000 words... 2 more school weeks, then about 5 non-school (I hope) weeks. That said, I am pretty happy with chs 1-4 now.
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