5 more chapters. 12 more scenes. That’s not entirely correct, though, because the climax of the novel is listed as one chapter one scene. And I’ve decided that I’m going to break that chapter up into numerous scenes to up the tension. 5 more chapters, however, is correct.
This last scene, Kelsey and her new boyfriend, M, talking with M’s father, the publisher of the town paper, was like trying to cut through a well-done steak with a butter knife. First of all, the 1st draft version was being told by M. Switching it over to Kelsey wasn’t tough at all. What was tough, then? What sticks in my mind the most is getting to the end of the chapter. It seemed like the information I had to relay via the dialogue wouldn’t end. I’d type a line, 2 lines, 5 lines—still more to go. Was I still writing with tension and suspense? I tried.
Honestly, I think it came out OK and I liked the changes I made. At the same time, I found the work, precise in its own way, tedious. You’re probably wondering if I, or anyone, can write invigorating prose and feel blasé about the task at the same time. Hang around to Draft 3, last part of June, and I’ll tell you what I think of what I wrote.
I may have been working on this book too long. Three years. Is there anything tantalizing in life that one may eventually have too much of? Maybe I’m just tired today.
OTOH, two scenes ago, I was pretty tired of that scene I was revising. This fatigue may be due to reading a line as we get to the climax, and I feel I have to load the entire book in my brain in order to complete that line. Next line, another reload.
There’s also the problem that these scenes, and, in fact, these lines, will make or break the novel. Great lines from literature go through my head. Hamlet’s line, “If she should break it now!” I’m not writing about anyone losing their chastity, but like Hamlet I am fearing that I’m about to lose a great deal. From The Glass Menagerie: “One crack -- and it falls through!” Tom’s talking about more than losing a key.
[Then, Memorial Day Weekend comes and goes]
Feeling less worried and more optimistic now. Why? Over the weekend I categorized my scenes left to be revised. There are 17 of them. They fit nicely in four chapters. That’s not many! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the promised land, the dawn beyond the darkness! I did not think this recasting would take 11 months. But it did, and I’m almost done!
I’ve now asked three people to read the 3rd draft, which I’ll finish the second week of July. My meticulous wife Wendy, the author Kathryn from my Feedback Hour writing group, and a new friend/thriller writer whom I just met in the Bosler Library Just Mysteries Book Group, Christina. I will add a 4th person: a paid beta reader I haven’t selected yet.
The past 9 months have certainly been solitary, and at times, lonely. But I was right to have almost none of this book read by anybody until it could stand on its own two feet. Doing so allowed me to fully explore ideas without having them shot down before they flew. There’s some metaphors mixed for you!
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling excitement about what’s to come.
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