Now that you’re older and wiser for it, how often have you thought back, really thought back, to the very first thing you really wanted to be when you grew up, and wish, now, that you had managed to do it?
As the job hunt continues–fruitless though it may be–I can at least be thankful that, while I am unemployed, I can get at least through the revisions of my fantasy book without the hassle of life on top of that.
Whether I’ll make my personal deadline before I find a job is a very certain uncertainty, but I will happily take whatever progress I can grasp at.
Thus far, the prologue has had a very long face-life. I mean it–the prologue is longer than my first chapter! In ms. format, the prologue is nine pages long, while the first chapter is only six. I was originally working to shorten the prologue, as I–and many others are guilty of this, I’m sure–usually skip it if it’s more than a paragraph when I’m reading. Shameful, but true! The information in mine is…well, it isn’t critical to the plot at all. I use the prologue as a place to insert back-story and information that you don’t really need to know, but would help you get a sense of what the overall story would be about. I made it so that if you did skip it like I would, the first chapter would still catch your eye, and with any luck, reel you in just the same.
Chapter one had the next largest amount of re-working that got done. I hacked it down by three pages and replaced them with one and a half fresh ones, which was a very good move. The hook has a lot more bite to it now, and that is very pleasing. Chapters two through four we adjusted accordingly, but nothing overly impressive had to be changed. I cut down the end of chapter four by three pages as well, and only replaced it with a paragraph.
The first twenty or so chapters of the fantasy book are probably going to eat me alive with minor errors, but I’m hoping it won’t take too much time away from being able to continue work on SaSu. It’s only a side job, and obviously takes a backseat where my novel is concerned, but I’m working on a schedule right now to get that done at the same time. Only time will tell if it works out.
