Editing a WIP

THE BASKET MAKER'S WIFE  


Today I am editing my WIP (work in progress). I’m at the roundoff point: This manuscript needs a serious “Relook” before ending. Cruising into homebase, the final rough draft, this is very important.

 This WIP was not lucky enough to have a straight shot through. It had many interruptions. Because it is the second in series, it has to be balanced with the first book. That means the timelines have to be right, the places and characters matching the previous book.

One of the most important things that is sometimes skipped in how-to write sessions is the roles of the characters and their importance. Characters have a part to play or they don’t need to be in the story.

I already know some points that need to be covered. At first glance, I know that the male POV (point of view) needs to be strengthened, And one particular male’s scene diminished. With a large cast of characters it’s important to keep track of the protagonists and let the other characters wait for their own stories. I keep notes on characters that will have their own stories.

All writers have certain individual strengths.  This male point of view is very important in this story, and perhaps one of my strengths is writing male POV. Perhaps.

A second point in this WIP edit is that one of the elements needs to be fleshed out and continue more consistently in the story. In one point, the rough draft drags and needs to be tightened, allowing more room for the high points. MASSAGING THE WORK is more FEEL than anything.

In the writing of this story, there were many stop and go’s, so consistency of the theme and story line needs attention. There are parts of two quotes I like to remember when writing a story: 1. From Nora Roberts: “I can fix a bad page…” and 2. From Jayne Ann Krentz: “Don’t let anything stop you.”

I like to remember those two portions of longer quotes. Things do you stop you from writing, but you can fix a bad page and massage a story. It’s great when you can take a straight shot, but as writers, we sometimes we deal with doing our best shot in the time that we have--then editing it into our best.