By There comes a point in every book where I want to chuck it all in and never write another word. I start to question my plot. I start to think my characters are crap. I become fairly certain that the whole thing is a steaming pile of garbage left to rot in the sun.
Thankfully, a few days away from the book is usually enough to cure me of it, and then I fall in love with my characters again. I plug up plot holes. I draw maps to make sure I’m using consistent language and direction when I’m writing about travels. I fortify character descriptions, using sensual language to really let the reader see the character. I read through the book, making notes on things I need to thread deeper into the story, and then I go back to the beginning and I edit.
I hit the first point the other day, as I was finishing my first edit pass on The Blood Witch. I was pretty sure I was just going to toss it, and the year or so I’ve spent writing it, in the bin and stop calling myself a writer.
This morning, as I sit here sipping my coffee and contemplating my day, I’m reaching the second point. I know where my holes are and I have good ideas on fixing them. I have a list of little things I want to carry forward because I wrote them in with good intentions, and then forgot about them completely. I have a deep abiding love for my two main characters, and character notes on how to improve the secondary and tertiary characters.
My one remaining quandary is that my narrator main character is witty and fun in the first half of the book, but some of that bleeds off in the second half. Part of it is due to the circumstances, and that will remain. But, I know that when I am under stress I get more sarcastic, not less, so I want to work on building some of that back in.
So that is the mission I will embark on today. After the coffee is gone, the garden watered, breakfast eaten, for at least two hours today, and every day this week, I work on filling in the gaps and making this book something to be proud of.
Of course, then the real work happens because it is time to start querying. Which is vaguely terrifying.
So, off to do those precursor things so that I can get to the words. Have a pleasant Monday, Readers. Stay safe.
Natalie J Case 