Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Rewrite 12 Step Program

What does a girl do when she knows her first chapter is the weakest chapter in the novel...

Ah yes, the writer goes through many emotional phases in the process of acquiring an agent. At first she ignores the fact that chapter one is the least intriguing and hopes the remainder of the book makes up for it. After all, the publishing house will ask for rewrites anyway, right?

She struggles with mourning, all the while sustaining denial. In the back of her mind she makes paltry plans on revision, but none which excite her.

Then, as if by miracle, rejections on two partials return. Their comments point in one direction only. A magical anvil falls upon the writer and smacks her on the head. Dazed, yet somehow pleased, the writer grabs her notebook and forms a proper beginning for her young adult masterpiece.

3 comments:

Bernita said...

Ripped 13 pages out of mine...

Cynthia Bronco said...

There was a long time between knowing I needed to and realizing how. Hope I got it right!

Mike Vecchio said...

Before I was done I deleted over 75 pages and I've just finished the 3rd major revision. At some point you just need to ask yourself some hard questions. My issue now is I have a great opening, but I'm worried that if the pace slows, which it does, I may lose the reader. So far readers don't seem to have a problem.

I really like the premise of your novel if it's the one you posted a query for.