Things to Cut
Mar. 20th, 2012 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76I did not end up editing last night, due to (1) lots of errands and chores to do, (2) Wonderful Husband doing our taxes and occasionally requesting my input, and (3) pain. Spending a weekend walking on concrete floors sent my calves into screaming agony come Monday morning.
That does not mean, however, that the pot did not continue simmering on the back burner.
I've concluded that I'm going to take Naomi Novik's advice and just cut the entire first scene. Marin is my main character; why am I beginning the book with Ariss? This means that I need to tweak the next scene Ariss appears in to include a physical description of her.
I've also concluded that I need to cut out the scene between Alain Lowsturm and Bastian Tel Amo completely. I've hinted at Alain via letter, but he is simply not important yet. He (and his connection to Bastian) will be important in Field of Stars, but not in Queen's Choice. ;_; I love these characters. Alain is the son of a demon and the lightning avatar; Bastian the inheritor of, as Alain puts it, "a ridiculous amount of white magic and political power." And at this point they're college roommates. With issues. I'll have to save the scene elsewhere for future reference.
So, on the one hand, I'm sad about having to cut things out. On the other, it will make for a tighter book and help get my word count down. I've cut 1300+ words already, but I have, minimum, 1500+ more to axe. And, ideally, far more than that.
Why does my brain want to write a two-three book epic? It's going to be harder to sell.
That does not mean, however, that the pot did not continue simmering on the back burner.
I've concluded that I'm going to take Naomi Novik's advice and just cut the entire first scene. Marin is my main character; why am I beginning the book with Ariss? This means that I need to tweak the next scene Ariss appears in to include a physical description of her.
I've also concluded that I need to cut out the scene between Alain Lowsturm and Bastian Tel Amo completely. I've hinted at Alain via letter, but he is simply not important yet. He (and his connection to Bastian) will be important in Field of Stars, but not in Queen's Choice. ;_; I love these characters. Alain is the son of a demon and the lightning avatar; Bastian the inheritor of, as Alain puts it, "a ridiculous amount of white magic and political power." And at this point they're college roommates. With issues. I'll have to save the scene elsewhere for future reference.
So, on the one hand, I'm sad about having to cut things out. On the other, it will make for a tighter book and help get my word count down. I've cut 1300+ words already, but I have, minimum, 1500+ more to axe. And, ideally, far more than that.
Why does my brain want to write a two-three book epic? It's going to be harder to sell.
