Storytime

I've done it. I've handed over the manuscript...handed over eagerly to someone I totally trust. Yet, even as I printed out those last pages I was editing. Thinking that I should have added this, made that scene longer, focused on that photograph because there is a link to.... But, I also knew, no matter how unfinished it was...it was time for another's eyes to go over it. First of all, someone has to see whether there is a story there. I think there is, but of course the story is mainly in my brain.  As we all know, the major difficulty in writing, is getting down on paper what we have going on up there. Often so many things are overlooked because to us, it is obvious. Naturally we know that the hero has a slight lopsided smile, we see it in our mind all the time. What do you mean the reader has no knowledge of this? It's mentioned nowhere in the book? Hmmmmm. I know there are some people that insist NO ONE sees their first draft. Or even their second, ...

A few years ago I attempted Nanowrimo...well not only attempted I successfully put down over 50 000 words. I put it aside for about a year, then finally looked at it. Surprising myself that there was actually something there to work with. I did a bit of rewriting...then left it for a long time. Being brave I gave the opening chapter to my writing group...they all wanted more. So I printed the whole mismatch out and on our writing retreat I worked on it. This led to a major rejig of time line and since then I've been slowly plodding away on it. I'm 9/10 of the way through when bang... I have discovered A HUGE HOLE. Why I didn't notice this earlier I have no idea. Perhaps I was too focused on getting there. I had the end in sight and I was merely putting one foot in front of the other. Whatever the reason, here I am with a hole. A gap. A huge slice of emptiness that needs to be filled.  Interestingly enough I had thought the plot made sense. And it doe...