Epiphany

robin1

Well, the title says it all...I have had a seminal moment in my novel writing. I had a brainwave midway through the day yesterday and realised at this point that the direction I was taking my novel was not the way it should be going. I am just glad I didn't get to the end and realise this. I know I need to make it more believeable like this sort of thing could happen and you wouldn't even know about it till it was in the papers. So it will a lot of back tracking and reworking, but I know it has to be done. My character Dorothy agrees ;) She will become more of the sort of little old lady you might see around and about, whilst maintaining this darker side.

Carol

They are great moments when you experience them- glad it has happened now for you.

Claudia

[quote=robin1]So it will a lot of back tracking and reworking, but I know it has to be done.[/quote]

Congratulations for the brainwave and good luck with the re-write, Robin.

dorothyd

better now than when it was finished, Robin, this will give you the confidence to face the rewrite where an entire book would be daunting.

Liz

Good luck!

Dwight

[quote=dorothyd]better now than when it was finished, Robin, this will give you the confidence to face the rewrite where an entire book would be daunting.[/quote]

Done it, been there, Dorothy. I'm about to start my fourth complete re-write of the whole book. After completing it @ 174,000 words, I realised I had two novels in one (and it was too long to be considered for publishing as a debut novel), so one of the two story lines was expunged. Later, at 85,000 words, I changed the book from third person to first, which is not as easy as it sounds. Then I needed a re-write, page by page, to adopt a teenage viewpoint and voice, while replacing telling with showing. Now the next step will be to plug evry hole inthe plot and make it feasible (while ditching a shed-load of clich

dorothyd

changing third to first is tricky, I am currently changing first to third ... which is easier provided I am vigilant for the I and me and myself and such likes ... but I have added a few hundred words already by changing over. The author wants to distance himself and talk about himself in the third person. I have done this twice now and it works.

shellw

Well done Rob, glad the novels going well and moving in the right direction for you )
Hope you get the re write done without too much pain

robin1

Thank you all for your kind words...hopefully it wont be too painful, currently letting it cogitate in my subconscious as I tidy the house.

:)