Learning Edge

I find I get to the edge of what I'm competent at doing and then fear freezes me up. This stops me taking chances, learning new things, because I fear that while I am doing this, I will be crap until I practice and master it. Editing is this edge for me. I know I can do the small editing, better language, better punctuation etc. but doing the big story/plot/pacing edit is hard and I've never found an easy way to do it (yet). So I'm going to have a go anyway today, trying one of the suggested methods of analysing the book in the whole and then chapter by chapter, scene by scene until I have the structure clear in my mind. Tricky stuff.


I find talking to people about what I am doing, about the book in the round, helps me pick out bits that don't make sense or aren't very interesting. Yesterday I was talking to my friend Jo and she's a real enthusiast of good women's stories so another person I can bounce ideas off. The problem is, I think (without slipping into melodrama) the book needs enough drama to keep the reader interested. the problem for me is, I've already read it, I don't know if it's interesting or not any more.


Putting it away for a month is a good idea, at least in theory, so I can perhaps enjoy reading through it and find 'big' changes like point of view (POV) narration and get that consistent and working. I have to have two POV's for this book to work, but I can probably cut it down to chapter by chapter rather than swapping mid chapter. The second novel I'm just playing with, having fun, and I'm trying to avoid the big stereotype 'vampire/werewolf stuff' that's going on in young adult literature at the moment. While still having a bit of fun with the supernatural, which is at least an area where I'm well researched!


This is a snippet of the supernatural book. Hopefully it arouses enough interest! It's the first scene, I wanted to establish Jack as a figure who may be evil or may be good, but is a bit of an action hero!

[COMMENT REMOVED SO I DON'T PLAGIARISE MYSELF!]