Sunday, November 20, 2011

A new beginning

I have decided not to trunk Boyfriend. I love my character and her transformation too much to give up on her. So I spent yesterday afternoon outlining the new direction the novel will take. I've cut out two characters and given a big part of one to my MC. This ups her stakes and gives her some super-tough decisions to make. I've also changed her relationship to her sister.

Tonight I will start writing. I've never outlined a book so substantially and I'm hoping that by doing it, I'll be better able to stick to the shape I want. I think I'll be able to work in quite large chunks of the original draft too, in places, so I'm not quite starting from scratch (although the first chapter will be quite different).

I'm feeling good about this, and am going to aim to have the new draft completed by Christmas. That may be overconfident, but I like to have a deadline. Even if I don't meet it.

Do you like to set yourself deadlines? Do you meet them?

7 comments:

  1. I never set deadlines lol I'll save all that for if or when I get published.

    Go, Kate! Go, Kate! *waves pom-poms* :) I'm glad to hear your new enthusiasm for this story. You'll breeze it!

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  2. Good for you! I'm glad you're not going to trunk it. I think the Christmas deadline is plausible. I think deadlines are important. I try to set them for myself too!

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  3. Thanks Kurt!

    And deadlines are important, aren't they Abby? A goal is worth having.

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  4. Ack!!!
    Don't trunk that story!!!!!!!!!

    I'm excited to see what you do with it. Those kinds of revisions almost always turn out easier than I think they will.

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  5. Thanks Jolene.

    I have some good ideas for it, and hopefully they will address all the issues you had and some I had too.

    Fingers crossed....

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  6. Yay!!! Good for you. Glad to hear you're sticking with it and that you have a new direction that you're excited about!

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  7. Thanks Kelley!

    2 chapters done last night. I'm feeling good at the moment...

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