caper_est | Three Katherines and Their Deadlines (Reply)

Killer-Kate and Luke Lackland: Hard revision continues to be hard. I've now put in about all the thinky-time and research reading that I can benefit from on this stretch. The first two arcs make as much sense on every level as the Tale and I have to offer. I've got my head around Loosestrife, the one significant minor character the first draft was wanting. As a bonus, I like her company. The only thing to do now is to execute everything I've worked out, and write the actual, beta-ready version of what's presently the first thirteen chapters.

When I've done that, I'll know whether the changes I'm planning for the rest of the book will still look good. I have to write this bit first and move on from it, though.

I shan't be posting any wordcountage on the rewrite, not least because shorter here will be generally better. Instead, it's time to move into deadline country, lest I get stuck in a vortex of perfectionist suck - one of my known failure modes. Therefore, starting next Monday after the Weekend of Everybody's Birthday, the plan is this:

- Five scenes per week, for the revision of the Last Quest and Wassail material; half that quota for the short run of completely new material ("Triona's Way") to be inserted near the end of the Wassail arc, hopefully replacing some of it and tautening the rest. This should take me through to somewhere in September. Reporting will occur.

- Tentatively and assuming that part works out as planned, a similar pace for the rest of it. Complete revision ready for beta-call with the New Year.

I don't seem to be able to concentrate properly on any other story while this one is being such a swirly thing in my skull. Time to start the last march out of the Dubious Woods.

It's come a very long way from the story that blew into my skull on that wild winter's night, four-and-a-half years ago.