Many things have happened since the last update, some of them related to getting this book written, but over the last couple of work-free (or work-free-ish) mornings, I have actually started to make progress.
One of the key things which has become clear to me is that my old beginning, derived entirely from the original short story, didn’t work in the context of the rest of the first part – it was too choppy, and too eager to answer some of the questions, rather than letting the reader wonder about things. I’m delighted to say that I have finally taken the plunge, rewritten the first 10 pages or so, and changed the opening so it has a bit more drama about it.
It’s one thing to know these things have to be done, quite another to make yourself actually sit down, think about them, and do them. What’s also clear to me now is that I need to continue this process through the whole of Part 1, and with any luck, move smoothly on to the mental block I have about part 2. It’s really starting to move again, aided in no small part by encouraging noises I hear from people who have read bits.
No-one ever said it was going to be easy.
New opening line:
Andrew was tense, sweaty and lost.
Word count of Draft 4: 5,190 – it’s going to be a long road, but I’m finally on the path that all the textbooks tell you is there…