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4/1/25: If you read my blog to Dean last week, you recall that I was feeling lost and impatient. It seemed like it would take forever to get to the midpoint of the novel.

And now? I have one three-page scene to go until I’m there!

What happened? Mainly, I found things to cut. Like a lot of things. For instance, today I was editing a scene between the protagonist, Kelsey Webb, and her wannabe boyfriend, Zeke Rivers. Zeke starts talking about their future together. Something that’s on his mind, since he has signed up with the Marines. He goes on and on. Info dump. Tension killer. What Zeke had to say was probably over three pages long (I’m typing this 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced. Don’t think I made that clear in the blog before). I cut it back to a page, tops.

Entire scenes went. They were redundant (I had one scene in there in two different forms, each from different prior drafts. The second-best version? Delete.), didn’t really advance the story, or moved away from the plot. To the good, I’m finding things that have to go, and popping them out of the text.

I’m still concerned that the story is too much like a Coming-of-Age story and not a Thriller. Eventually, an editor will have to help me with that. I’m not the best for killing darlings.

The word count is way too high. I’m at the halfway point with 48000 words. Too long for a first-time YA Thriller. Me and my Developmental Editor (still not chosen) will talk. I guess that’s why they get paid the big bucks!

I’m too tired tonight to start on those 3 pages that fit right before the Centerpiece chapter. My goal was to have Act 2A done by Thursday 4/3. I’m running slightly ahead of schedule, but I need to practice my guitar tomorrow before my lesson—I’ll devote 1.5 hours to that. In theory, then, I should be able to edit the three pages aforementioned tomorrow morning 4/2. That will leave 4/3 for getting ready to teach Intermediate Creative Writing, which starts next Tuesday evening (4/8).

A quick note about that. I’ll teach Creative Writing at the Stuart Community Center in Carlisle, PA, one night a week, 2 hours a night. First hour will be offering main points from William Bernhardt’s Red Sneakers Writing Series. I really like Bernhardt because he’s a bestseller author. No literary bullshit stands in between him and the reader. Therefore, his slant on writing is perfect for new writers. For instance, he states, “All stories are character-driven.” I believe he’s right. He states, “Use adjectives sparingly and adverbs not at all.” Okay, Ernest Hemingway; but I believe that too is the correct way to do it if you want readers to fly through your books. And Bernhardt agrees with Donald Maass about having conflict in every scene. Makes total sense; makes editing easier.

This coming Friday morning, I’ll leave to visit my son in Rochester, NY, leaving behind my novel, the second draft of it halfway done. Now there’s a good feeling!