It only gets harder – Yet more awesome

This month has been the toughest slog yet. If you’ve been following, I had written and removed quite a lot before uploading chapter three last month, so much so that there was a good 4,000 or more words ready for chapter four before I started writing again.

However, what has happened is that most of that 4,000 words has since been rewritten multiple times, deleted, rewritten and deleted again. Chapter four is pretty much ready and it’s just over 6,000 words again, but I must have written something like 10,000 words maybe more to get to this point. Some of which (a sizeable portion) only got finalised this past week.

It has mainly been a battle with myself over what feels right, what is easy to read, what is engaging, what advances the plot, what does not feel self indulgent etc.

With chapter four there is a pretty major plot introduction which needs to happen, and it had been beginning this concept which has proven most difficult. Hopefully you will understand what I mean when you read the chapter. Without saying too much, it is writing a story in reverse from the perspective of different characters peripheral to the subject character. Now that has been a tough slog. Introducing new characters and trying to say enough without saying too much or too little, making it somewhat self evident that this aspect of the story is in reverse. Making it so you don’t confuse characters with the other narratives going…

All I can say is Phew!

Now it is pretty much done and established and there are no new narratives, writing should be a lot easier as the events generally drive themselves (I.e. Jean had been relatively easy to write as her story is already on its own way).

So here’s to another month done and to starting chapter five! Yay

P.S.

This week I attended the annual Sydney Writers Festival including a novel writing workshop with the Melbourne author, Liam Pieper. It was great meeting Liam and hearing how his debut novel The Toymaker was created and published. I learned a lot.

The main highlight for the festival however was hearing Danny Denton on two occasions talk about his novel, The Earlie King and the Kid in Yellow. My god, this guy can write. He was also well spoken and very intelligent and my age. I found him hugely inspiring, especially as the novel was his first published work. I can’t wait to finish Tim Winton’s ‘Breath’ so I can start Danny Denton’s book. Check it out ASAP!