The Big Picture: Some Things Do Get Easier

With the start of 2011 came the revising phase of the two erotic romances I’ve been working on for the past few months. One is a suspense featuring Walter Simon from MORE; the other is a friends-to-lovers story, and both include a passionate romance that steams up the e-reader (or so I hope).

Since revising is where most of my energy is focused lately, that’s what today’s post is all about.

I’ll be editing these manuscripts for a while before I dig into a new project, but that doesn’t bother me. I enjoy going over and over a story, adding in the little details that build stronger characters and increase the emotions and sexual tension.

One of my writing goals for this year is to write faster, which means producing fewer drafts for each project. I thought I did pretty well on these latest “first drafts” until I started reviewing one of the manuscripts. There are more plot and pacing revisions needed than I had expected.

It’s not a bad thing, though. With one day of frustration and three productive days of making revision notes, I’ve figured out some of the issues. I feel good about that. There are many times I’m too close to my work and can’t see the big picture. I’m hoping this means I’m getting better at objectively examining my writing.

Working out these issues has taught me a few things:

1) It gets easier to cut scenes.
Not sure if it’s because I’m cutting scenes early in my self-editing process or because after working with Loose Id on two books, I’m able to see issues more clearly and accept that the story will be stronger if I make the cuts. Whatever the reason, I’ve spent the last two days cutting and combining scenes, and I can see the improvements at a higher level.

2) Listen to my internal reader.
When writing a scene, I shouldn’t focus solely on whether the scene is right for the story (is it moving the plot along, is it building characterization, etc.) but also ask myself if it’s a scene readers will find interesting. The most important scene for the story’s plot may very well be the most boring, non-essential scene for a romance reader.

3) Listen to my gut.
If my gut tells me to veer off the planned outline, I should do it! Many writers who plot out their books beforehand will admit this is an important point to accept when it comes to effective plotting, and I was reminded of that this week. Sometimes even the best laid plans need to be revised once they are put into action.

4) Magical things happen after that first draft.
As I took note of the necessary revisions and locations for adding details, I could see the story strengthening and was reminded that layering in emotions and characterizations is what makes a story unique. This is the part where I love being a writer.

So yeah, it might take some time to get these books ready to submit to my editor, but I feel like I’m on the right path and that’s a great place to be.

Sloan Parker
www.sloanparker.com