What's happening?

Just realised I've neglected my blog for a while and it's feeling a little sorry for itself. So here's a quick update on progress on the novel.

4th Edit/Rewrite

After having some amazing feedback from my BETA readers, I've decided that I need to take a more severe hatchet strike to my manuscript. It was apparent that some things weren't clear to the reader, some of the dialog needed revisiting and some of the plot needed ... adjustments ("The Plot Adjustment Bureau", sounds like a Jasper Fforde novel!).

Having this as my first exposure to writing and polishing a manuscript has been a struggle to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the learning curve, but it has made me think about how I write. Finding time has been a bit of a problem recently, what with two demanding kids and a busy family life, but that's just an excuse really. Aren't they all?

So I am about two-thirds of the way through the manuscript for the upteenth time, and every time, I read something differently, or realise I never actually told the reader something I knew. The longer I take on the rewrites, the farther the publication date is pushed back, but I would rather that, than release something that is total tosh. I've also been having lots of ideas for other stories, that I keep having to put in my "Other Ideas" pile, as I have a history of going off on tangents.

All this should mean that the book doesn't entirely suck when it's released! The novel is also leaning more towards a Thriller rather than Dystopian, but that's fine with me. The word count has come down to about 70k words now, which is where my publisher wants it to be. This will go up a little, as I've got some chapters that need extending to support some of the other changes, but I suspect I'll still be the low side of 75k when I'm done.

I'm really selling it aren't I?! I'll be worth a read, honest it will, guv'!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be."

 Douglas Adams

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