I forgot today was a half day at work, so I got some unexpected writing time in. Well, mostly I fooled around on the internet with my MS in the background.
I’m still working on this whole ‘do my synopsis first’ plan, and I was blaming it for the fact that I was stuck on page five and hated my first five pages and didn’t know where to go in an interesting way.
Then I realized the real problem. A problem it has taken me a while to fully come to terms with. I hadn’t started in the right place.
After the medical fast-track when I got a revision email, they basically told me the first three chapters needed to be tossed. In fact, I think the wording was the opening chapters while pleasant lack interest. So, hey, the writing is fine, but what you’re writing about? SNORE.
Before the fast track and New Voices, I had begun a WIP which is the WIP I am currently rewriting. I went on to finish it and submit it and receive a form rejection on it. It stung a little, but I knew the premise was good. So what wasn’t I getting right?
Luckily I had also entered the first part in a contest and, though it didn’t place, got some feedback that echoed some of the same feedback I got from my medical R&R.
Hero doesn’t have strong enough conflict. (Now that I’ve heard this a THIRD time from SYTYCW maybe it’ll sink the heck in).
So, I’d been working on that. And I think I have succeeded. It isn’t just about the heroine overcoming her demons. He has some of his own and *gasp* he’s not perfect!
But something still wasn’t right. This beginning it was… boring. I didn’t know where to go next, to bridge the gap from intros to actual story.
And then it finally dawned on me… I was starting in the WRONG place. If I was sitting here wondering how to get to this one scene where things actually happened… shouldn’t I just start where THINGS actually happen.
I swear I’m not dense. I don’t have a CP right now and the feedback I am getting from publishers, while invaluable, is still just focused on one work or one chapter and is (obviously an understandably) not really explained. So, it’s just taking me a bit longer to have it all sink in.
But, I’m getting there. Slowly but surely.
Nicole Helm 