Thursday, August 25, 2005

Good buzz on revisions

I revised two entire chapters today, for a total of over 6K. (Brings the total to about 21K). In both chapters there were extra threads that needed to be woven in that fit fairly well. In one scene, I had Cae and her fiance, Ramon, in a situation where Ramon reacted very strongly to a perceived insult to Cae. When I read through the novel a few weeks ago, I realized this section was quite out of character for Ramon as he is very non-confrontation early in the novel, and his subplot really is about him gaining a backbone. So chapter five was too early for there to be a flare of the new Ramon. Still, to completely remove that chapter would have pulled a major foundational wall out from under the novel. What other reason could Ramon have had to react so strongly now? I mulled it over for awhile and decided he could be goaded into it by the girl he *really* loves, who is NOT Cae. If he did it to impress HER, then he could come up with the nerve needed. It worked. It now sounds like Ramon. A rather stressed out Ramon, to be sure, but the reader has already gotten glimmerings that Jade means more to Ramon than she ought to in earlier chapters, so it's not a stretch.

And then there was more cocky Treyan to write, and that is always fun. He has discovered that Cae is engaged, and it doesn't impress him favorably. He is totally smitten, and hasn't ever heard of tact. Great fun.

Jim and his dad got about 1200 bales off the field next door today. Pretty impressive. Jim just might make his deadline after all.

3 comments:

Mikesell said...

Congratulations Val!

And Jim, too!

--Chris

Maripat said...

Yayyy!!! Great job, VAl!!!

Valerie Comer said...

Thanks Chris and Maripat!