Writers, you know my pain. You’ve written your first draft, told the entire story the way you lived it in your head. You know the story backwards and frontwards. You’re satisfied with it.
And then you start revisions.
Today I am taking the plunge and rewriting an entire chapter of The Dark Wind of Dreams. I am starting from scratch.
I’ve known for a while that it needed to be done, but I have been reluctant to do it. I’ve been putting it off and avoiding it. Honestly, I’ve been procrastinating.
Why? I liked the first draft of the chapter. It was one of the earliest chapters that I wrote and I allowed myself to fall in love with it. It has become one of my darlings. Which is a bad, bad thing. Stephen King, in his book On Writing, tells us that we need to “kill our darlings.” That’s widely recognized as good advice, but oh my gosh! when it comes right down to it, it’s SOOO difficult!
Still, I know it needs to be done. What’s more, I have the replacement chapter outlined and ready to write. It’s going to be easy. (All my fellow writers are laughing at that statement.) All I have to do is let go of the old and make way for the new. Sure. Easy as pie.
The new chapter will make the entire story stronger. It will also give more of a glimpse into the lead male character, Vincente, who is just as important to the story as is Nora, the protagonist. It shows Vincente as the protector that he is. It will also deepen the emotional connections between Nora and Vincente.
The original chapter was told from Nora’s point of view, which left Vincente’s role very flat, and possibly left Nora looking a little weak.
The new chapter will be told from Vincente’s point of view.
It’s an all-around good thing for the story.
So why don’t I want to sit down and write it?
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I want to hear from you!
Writers, have you ever had to “kill your darlings”? Readers, have you ever thought a scene or chapter in a book you’ve read should have been written differently?
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Annisa Tangreen