See A McGuffin Epiphany for some thoughts on a rewrite. They turned out to be good thoughts.
Once I figured out what could be stolen, I could start rewriting. Some scenes had to go. And I think I miss them in some respects. They were cool exposition. Some clever dialog. But. They lacked real drama. So. Cut.
The changes improve a few other parts of the story, also. In particular, some of the scenes have new, more appropriate locations.
I even tried to have a transition which didn’t involve a proper change in scene. The conversation shifted, the people hadn’t actually moved. And the antagonist hadn’t done anything. It was all a long, low-drama pair of scenes blended together. Not good.
But I’m feeling a lot better with the rewrites. The drama is amped up. The decisions are crisper and tied to the scenes. The lessons learned are a little cleaner, also.
I have to be careful of the time sink here. It’s essential to keep track of the bigger picture.
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Another draft of The Forge.
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Some rewrites to The Sword and The Crystal.
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Some cleanup in the two stories I have. I can move forward on the third story after I get something published.