The Glamor! Part. . .Whatever

[rolanni]

Asyouknowbob, I'm revising Carousel Tides, due at Baen on September 1. The work is going slower than I like, and I feel like I'm getting in my own way more than usual.

There are a couple things feeding into this. A big one is -- the book is cold. By Which I Mean That -- it was written during 2006, partly as a displacement activity (2006 kinda sucked) and partly because I had been wanting to write this novel for years and hadn't had the time. So, I made the time, and Hey, Presto! a book.

Off it went to Madame the Agent, who allowed as how she could represent it, and started sending it around to get rejected, which it did, multiple times. In the meantime, Meisha Merlin officially melted, I captured the day-job, we wrote Fledgling, "Misfits", Duainfey, Saltation, Longeye, Mouse and Dragon, and a half-dozen or so short stories -- lotsa water under the creative bridge, right? And not much of it flowing by way of Archers Beach.

So, it's taking me longer than (I feel like) it should to get back into the world of Kate and Borgan and the trenvay, not to mention the Fantasy Menagerie Carousel.

Now, the book does need revision. It's not a bad book; in fact, I quite like it. But reading it, forcing Steve to read it, and talking it over with him, reveals that there are several things that can be improved, except -- the book is cold, and I'm afraid of my own power. I can change this, but ought I to? So, I dither, and doubt, and vacuum the house, and the work is taking longer than it should.

Sigh.

Comments

[ramblin-phyl.livejournal.com]

Been there, done that.

Don't know how to kindle the spark other than to trust your gut, start by improving the language, a comma hear, replace a verb there, make the dialogue snappier. As the characters re-emerge you'll get a better feel for the story they want you to tell. Other than that, change the few things requested by the editor and ship it back.

Good luck. This is the hard part.

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Don't know as it will help, but risk management teaches a process of listing the risks (changes to be made in your case), then assigning each one two measures: likelihood and impact. Usually one to five rankings, for simplicity. You might use something like desirability and impact, or maybe difficulty and visibility -- I'm not sure what would be good dimensions for your changes. Then sort based on combination (easiest just to multiply them). So high likelihood, high impact items come first. Then decide on a cutoff point, and start tackling the top items? You might use different dimensions for prioritizing, but it does make the selection process a bit easier.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

It wasn't a bad book when we read the early draft. With a Seasoned Pro in charge, I'm sure it's a better book now. Quit whining and revise, woman!

[elektra.livejournal.com]

It's a wonderful book whether you make changes or not. Do not doubt yourself!!