Had a very effective talk with Becky last night.
It is such a relief to be able to talk about a story and have someone else have more than a clue what you’re talking about!
Several useful things were clarified. Among them, Lindorm is a *folktale* (duh.) not the next fantasy epic; so I can relax a bit about the ax (mallet) in the ceiling. My concerns about things “missing” are a bit misplaced. Having a new category for fantasy work (basically, beyond *epic*) is very helpful.
Two of my favorite fantasies: The Seer and the Sword, along with its companion novel, The Healer’s Keep, are more what I need to keep in mind than, say, Eragon or Lord of the Rings. For that I’m on-track.
“We’ve” also decided it’s a character novel, which has solidified the structure as well.
I spent last night rebuilding the Table of Contents to cut and rearrange, before taking my two current versions of Despoiled (Chapter One) and melding them into a single opening chapter.
The “compromise” referenced in the title is this: Since we’re still trying to move (You know, get the house packed and on the market… long-term goals and all that ;) ) I’ll limit myself to one chapter a night for the next several weeks.
I have 20 chapters that have two versions before I reach new (untouched this revision) material. Those need to be gone through as I did the first chapter, keeping details of a particular timeline while incorporating the improved writing where possible.
I’m quite content with this arrangement, and thankful to keep pecking at the novel. I know how to move slowly; I just want to keep moving.
I found the whole thing fascinating!
I think the change with Cecilia will help you cut words as you’re wanting, along with cutting a few “epic” things you were uncomfortable with. Glad you’re comfortable with opening at “Despoiled.” Even in a few sentences, it grabs people right away when told: “So the book opens with the main character asleep in the snow against her mother’s grave, hearing a stranger digging up her father’s grave.” Works better than “So the book opens with a secondary character walking into a crowded tavern, where the town crier announces a giant snake is looking for a bride.”
Well, actually, that’s not too bad…but I think that for the character story structure and the fact that the book goes beyond JUST the disenchantment story, Despoiled is better.
Yay for figuring things out. It’s funny how we sometimes have ideas of how the story should be, but if we let it, the story ends up coming out how it needs to. It sounds like you’re on the right track. I think the revision process can help reveal more about the story than the original writing process. :) Keep up the good work! *writing cookies*