Shadows of the Sun (Kyrnie) Update
Mar. 7th, 2008 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marfiskAnd the re-outlining has finally begun. I've gone through all the notes, including the Q&A with my critiquer, and collected the global changes.
Now I'm reading each scene and creating a new outline from scratch. I wrote this book just as I was working out the way outlines would help me. Therefore, its original outline is not very helpful at all :P.
I don't know whether I've gotten that much better at editing, or if distance is what I needed, but I can understand some of the comments I got before on certain characters now so much better. Stuff I could have sworn was laid out on the page, as I read the scene, is mentioned subtly, as though reminding the reader of something that they should already know, except that the first, detailed mention doesn't exist. Yep, I'm talking about Welhame here. I no longer question why his important--and positive--role did not come across. It's hard for readers to pick up on these things when they ARE NOT THERE :p.
If all goes well, though, I now have the distance, the ability, and the plan to make this novel rock as it should have from the beginning.
Oh, and I now know my weakness. When I get lazy, I duplicate themes and threads. I thought it was mere accident that I'd done so in the book until I worked on my synopsis and skimmed the outline instead of rereading the whole thing. Because of that, my first and second synopsis draft have two errors, one minor and one major. The minor can be excused. It won't affect anything. The major makes two different themes look pretty much identical and is proved false in the first paragraph. How's that for a wonderful presentation. Between the sample chapters and the current synopsis, no editor or agent would know which to trust :p.
BTW, I'm currently both taking a focus on synopses through OWW (closed but they might run another if there's enough interest) and teaching a specific synopsis technique on Forward Motion as this month's workshop. (Membership is free and there's still time to join that one if you're interested.) That's why I'm working on the synopsis for Shadows of the Sun, something I do before I start writing and after I've finished the final proof normally. And no, the timing wasn't planned. The one I didn't control was set after the one I do :).
Now I'm reading each scene and creating a new outline from scratch. I wrote this book just as I was working out the way outlines would help me. Therefore, its original outline is not very helpful at all :P.
I don't know whether I've gotten that much better at editing, or if distance is what I needed, but I can understand some of the comments I got before on certain characters now so much better. Stuff I could have sworn was laid out on the page, as I read the scene, is mentioned subtly, as though reminding the reader of something that they should already know, except that the first, detailed mention doesn't exist. Yep, I'm talking about Welhame here. I no longer question why his important--and positive--role did not come across. It's hard for readers to pick up on these things when they ARE NOT THERE :p.
If all goes well, though, I now have the distance, the ability, and the plan to make this novel rock as it should have from the beginning.
Oh, and I now know my weakness. When I get lazy, I duplicate themes and threads. I thought it was mere accident that I'd done so in the book until I worked on my synopsis and skimmed the outline instead of rereading the whole thing. Because of that, my first and second synopsis draft have two errors, one minor and one major. The minor can be excused. It won't affect anything. The major makes two different themes look pretty much identical and is proved false in the first paragraph. How's that for a wonderful presentation. Between the sample chapters and the current synopsis, no editor or agent would know which to trust :p.
BTW, I'm currently both taking a focus on synopses through OWW (closed but they might run another if there's enough interest) and teaching a specific synopsis technique on Forward Motion as this month's workshop. (Membership is free and there's still time to join that one if you're interested.) That's why I'm working on the synopsis for Shadows of the Sun, something I do before I start writing and after I've finished the final proof normally. And no, the timing wasn't planned. The one I didn't control was set after the one I do :).
no subject
Date: 2008-03-09 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-09 06:44 pm (UTC)I was supposed to write a short story for an SF class. I came up with what later became Shafter (yeah, short story for sure :p) and was busily writing it up when a monkey-like figure poling a raft took up residence in my head. She STILL hasn't left :D.