Good feedback

Got a great email from one of my betas. Lots of stuff to work on, but plenty of good things, too. I'm happy to say that it looks like the back half of the novel seems to be universally enjoyed, meaning I can turn my attention more fully to the front half. 

It also means, however, that the same section I've been talking about seems to be the stickler with all my betas. I think I'm getting my story too bogged down with world building and end up letting details overwhelm scenes that don't need to be as long or as detailed as they are. I definitely know that this next draft is going to have a drastically different few first chapters.

What's going to change? Well... I can't really tell you that, can I? But I can say this. My last beta made a suggestion that was so far out of left field for me, that I would've never considered it on my own. The longer I think about it, the more the suggestion feels like it should be the logical flow. I'm actually a little upset with myself for A) not considering it on my own, and 2) being so resistant initially. 

I think I've started to set my characters and my plot in stone, at least in my mind.  I really need to relax and focus on the readers and remember that until the ink dries, nothing is set in stone. That means the backstory for one of my characters, another character's name, and even the motivation behind the inciting incident. All of these, firm in my mind, need to be more fluid. You know, like Bruce Lee said. "Be water my friend."

Not sure how I ended up moving from Beta Readers to Bruce Lee, but still... I suppose that's just an example of being fluid and going where things lead. Or I'm rambling and it's really time to end today's blog. Definitely the former, right? Right?

Be Excellent to Each Other.