I figured it out!

Christine N. · Feb 28, 2007

I'm feeling like the Queen of the Writers! Tuesday, I got a 'rejection' letter from a small publisher. It wasn't bad, though...

While I loved the premise of your story, there are a few issues preventing me from offering a contract at this time. If you're willing to address these issues, I would be happy to review the revised manuscript.

My first concern is where your story begins. There are a few scenes at the beginning that don't feel necessary. As you read through the first half of your manuscript, ask yourself if each scene is absolutely integral for the plot. Can you condense any of it? Can you combine certain scenes? Consider opening your story closer to the point where your main plot begins.

Ok, so I went and tore into it. I cut 1K from the FIRST CHAPTER. Yeah, I had all kinds of junk that was just sucking up space. Then I went and condensed a bit more, but added the characterization she asked for, mostly at the end.

It wound up being about the same length, and I was still feeling the story wasn't taking off as quick as it could.

Then it hit me... combine the front half of the book into one continuous storyline! There's no need for the hidden diary to be in the drawer, when later the MC and her friends are going to find something else hidden later. Why can't the diary be hidden with the other stuff? I can delete what amounted to a whole chapter! I rearranged, I reshuffled, I cut and pasted for hours.

And now I feel like the Empress of Revision. What an even better book this is!

Whew. I'm still not done, I have to do a final cleanup to make sure everything fits with the new storyline. But man, what a cool thing to do!

WildScribe · Feb 28, 2007

AND your publisher is willing to give it a second look. Good going!

PeeDee · Feb 28, 2007

I'm deeply envious of you, Christine. Revisions for me are generally a few hours spent reading things and feeling beleagured. I wish I felt like you do.

Congratulations. Now THAT'S a productive day.

LloydBrown · Feb 28, 2007

Sounds pretty sweet all around, Christine. Great job.

roach · Feb 28, 2007

Go you! Isn't revising on that scale so cathartic? You can see the whole picture and what needs to go where and what isn't even necessary. Get it revised and get it back to that publisher!

Calla Lily · Feb 28, 2007

Excellent! Kill your darlings! (I love saying that to non-writers. You should see the looks I get.) :roll:

san_remo_ave · Feb 28, 2007

That's great Christine! Congrats!

Christine N. · Feb 28, 2007

Thank you. I sliced about 3500 words off so far. That's a lot of words I didn't need.

PeeDee · Feb 28, 2007

When you're done, I'll give you five dollars to murder my darlings too.

KAP · Feb 28, 2007

PeeDee said:
When you're done, I'll give you five dollars to murder my darlings too.

Ah, contracted hits. Has its appeal, but I like to stare into the eyes of my darlings as I tap the delete key. MmmmmWhaaaaHaHa.

Congratulations, Christine.

underthecity · Feb 28, 2007

Very nice, Christine. It's the kind of rejection we'd all love to get.

And reading the rejection actually made me realize my own novel could use those same repairs.

Doesn't it just feel great to make a great book even better?

allen

Azure Skye · Feb 28, 2007

Can I be jealous?

Good stuff!

triceretops · Feb 28, 2007

Yep, I have to consider a major retrofit up front in my agented book. Too slow, too irrelevent, so on so on. I'm jealous that you got into yours and made such monumental changes, WITH, a request to send it back. That's wonderful

Tri

swvaughn · Feb 28, 2007

You ROCK!

KCH · Feb 28, 2007

Christine,

Congratulations on the encouraging words and suggestions from the publisher.

But all that accomplished in just one day? Holy moly, I feel like a slug.
Now, if you can just figure out how to bottle that mojo of yours, I'd be willing to pony up big bucks for a couple litres.

KCH

Southern_girl29 · Feb 28, 2007

Wow, Christine. That is a lot of work for one day. I bet the rewrites make the story even more wonderful than it already was.

aruna · Feb 28, 2007

Congratulations! I love it when that happens: an agent or an editor makes a suggestion, and WHAM! You KNOW it's right and plunge into a fury of rewriting, and something MUCH better emerges. Whew!
Can't wait to hear the results of this for you.

Sean D. Schaffer · Mar 1, 2007

Congratulations Christine! I'm glad to hear they were willing to look at your manuscript a second time. It's good to know they liked the premise enough to give your work a second chance.

Good luck with the revision.

Cassiopeia · Mar 1, 2007

Well Done! That is really great!

Petroglyph · Mar 1, 2007

Yea, Christine!

Soccer Mom · Mar 1, 2007

I love the "AHA". It's even better if it comes with a "please resubmit"! Yee Haw! Ride 'em!

Leah J. Utas · Mar 1, 2007

Oh, that's wonderful. What a thrill to receive that kind of letter. Good on you for getting right to it.

Christine N. · Mar 1, 2007

Well, to be honest, it wasn't all in one day. Monday morning I got the note. So the rest of Monday and most of Tuesday was spent cutting and snipping. Yesterday was the "AHA!" moment, and then some 'well, should I?" moments. Then most of yesterday was the ripping and tearing and rearranging and all that.

I'm between freelance gigs right now, and haven't had any sub assignments, so I had nothing but time to get it done.

And yes, I like this book even better now. And doing this is making me see how much of a mess my WIP (which is book 3 of the series) is too.

I'm on this roll now, I just want to edit everthing!

She's going to have it back next week. Come hell or high water.

Raindrops · Mar 1, 2007

That's awesome, Christine! I'm having to rewrite the ending to my book, and I have to take out a scene that I dearly love. It breaks my heart to delete it, but my beta reader said it was irrelevant. Now, if I can only figure out what to do with the last battle scene.... Grrrrrrr! lol

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Mar 1, 2007

I am ever so jealous! And envious! Killing your darlings is so difficult sometimes... but I'm really, really glad they want a second look!

I figured it out!

haz a shiny new book cover

Slave to the Wordcount

Where's my tea, please...?

annoyed and annoying

On hiatus

Back at it

haz a shiny new book cover

Where's my tea, please...?

Hangin' with the gargies

Finestkind

Huh?

adrift

On a wing and a prayer

Otherwise Occupied

gestating a plot

Crypto-fascist

Protecting Teddy with all my might.

haz a shiny new book cover

Hand? What hand?