On Revision: How, Exactly, Do I Murder My Darlings?

October 16, 2014April 28, 2015 ~ Jax ~ Leave a comment

After boiling my novel down to Just One Thing and identifying some crap, I need to decide what to do with it all. Here is how, exactly, I am going to murder my darlings (and whether I will in the end). This is how I’m going to go into November armed with that list of scenes … Continue reading On Revision: How, Exactly, Do I Murder My Darlings?

Just Keep Going: Finally Getting to My Theme

July 31, 2014April 28, 2015 ~ Jax ~ 4 Comments

He’s making me boil my novel down to One Thing. Your novel needs to be about One Thing, he tells me! I fight it. It can’t be just about One Thing! There is a complex and nuanced web of interwoven themes about human nature that… that… Okay. Fine. I can rail at his written page … Continue reading Just Keep Going: Finally Getting to My Theme

How I’m Editing My Manuscript

June 24, 2014April 28, 2015 ~ Jax ~ 1 Comment

After the frantic rush of drafting a 113,000-word novel from NaNoWriMo 2013 to March 2014, it's time to stumble through editing the manuscript. Three funerals (one of which was my father's) and two weddings (one of which was mine) later, I have finally come back to pick my baby up and care for it. The next step of … Continue reading How I’m Editing My Manuscript