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Monday, July 22, 2013

More Badge Revision

I'm about three quarters through my last read-through of Badge, and it feels very close. I managed to talk myself out of one of the two biggish edits from last week, so I've got just one left. It will take about 2k out of the novel, which feels good. That 2k focuses almost entirely on characters who don't really factor into the main story. In other words, they're not that interesting. So off with their heads.

I feel like my novel can so easily slide from good to bad. There are 80,000 words in Badge, but one phrase--even one word--can make me feel like the whole etude gets knocked out of key. Every book and movie I love tilts on the characters' or actors' every word, every gesture. I don't know how anyone does anything of quality in less than five years. It happens, but not with me.

Yours in laying down the law,

Art

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this kind of editing! Once you've written enough to feel confident in cutting out whole scenes, whole chapters, whole characters, you know you've really made it. It is very liberating and exciting.

And now I want to know which characters are getting the ax!

Art Edwards said...

Not quite the ax, but secondary characters who have one big scene are now just secondary characters. I dreamed of a rock novel where secondary the road crew got some stage time. Now, not so much.

Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. Sometimes it's hard to tell when you're adding texture and atmosphere and when you're just creating a big, unnecessary detour from the main story.

Art Edwards said...

I definitely felt a drag at page 100-ish. Something had to go.