He was going back through his project and changing the story.
“Didn’t you go all the way back through yours, Roberta?” he asked.
Yes, I did. Relic
was originally written in third person. I was very close to the end of the
manuscript when I realized the view point had been wasted. I could see inside my
protagonist’s head, but so what? If she was telling the story, we’d be able to see inside
her thoughts, too. So why not just tell the story in first person?
It was a daunting task, but as soon as I started, I knew I
had made the correct decision. With first person, Samantha could tell her story
and her personality could come out. When I took those first revisions back to
group, everyone agreed.
Even now, in the first draft of my new project, I had
parallel time lines. By about 20 pages in, I realized getting to the good part
seemed to be taking too long, and I was going to give too much away. I went back
and revised. I think it sounds much better.
So yes, going back is hell. But is it worth it? Most of the
time, I think so. Like I tell my students: Writing doesn't come out right the first time.
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