Fresh Eyes

No matter how many times I look at something I've written, it never seems to fail. It looks perfect moments after writing, but if you give it a week, it's total garbage. Well, maybe not garbage, but that last sentence certainly could've flowed better. And, man, I really use that same word a lot in this paragraph. And do I really need Giz to mention this last bit? I feel like she's more succinct than that. 

They always tell you when you write that you need to put your work down for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and come back to it with fresh eyes. That never feels true when I've just finished, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work out every time. This is a hefty project, well over 450 pages (unformatted, so don't take too much from that) and with the time it's taking to edit, I feel like it's been forever since I've seen each section. I may take a day on a single chapter... or weeks on a single page! Some of these sections flow wonderfully and others grit on my nerves and make me question my ability to write at all. Point is, it takes a while and by the time I get to the end of this novel, I think enough time will have passed to be giving it fresh eyes.

Another problem is how my writing style starts to drift from the beginning of the novel to the end. Fresh eyes really helps here because when I start writing Jonathan and Reagan, it's like I've just met these two guys. I don't know what Reagan's like in a bar or what Jonathan's favorite band is. But once I've written over fifty chapters of their adventures together, I can tell you everything about them. Which is odd when I go back to the beginning. They were strangers to me back when I first started writing. That means there's a lot of clean up to be done to get them looking like the pair of Paladins I know.

Oh, and the continuity! I absolutely love continuity. I know that's a strange sentiment. It's not like people go out and compliment an author on how unbelievably out of sync his timeline is, but when creators remember the small details, it just makes me smile. Sometimes those details are throw away, I know, but remembering that Samantha likes blue berries from page one to the end, just helps her feel like a more complete character. And... obviously I didn't have certain things in mind when I started writing the novel. 

Don't get me wrong, I used an outline. Good lord, did I outline and plan this, but things keep coming up along the way that feel right, that just fit so well with characters and sometimes, that means a little editing to make sure Samantha ate those freakin' blue berries at the beginning of the book, too.

Okay, the rambling is starting to flow through me like the encroaching Dark Side of the Force, so I'll stop it here. Should have that short story up soon! Hope you're as excited as me!

Be Excellent to Each Other