On the weekend I wrote about the love-hate relationship we have our words. This afternoon I sat down to sift through all my feedback from my beta readers on “Sun Kissed”. Only one word can describe it adequately… “overwhelming.”And thus begins the third draft where the real work begins on any piece of creative writing.
Today represents days all across the year… when the verdict is in and where I want to walk away from the story. The investment of four wonderful writers in this story via their feedback keeps me at the page though (another reason to get beta readers involved… it keeps you honest!)
It isn’t because the verdict is the story is terrible and I want to put as much distance between me and the awful piece of literature I’ve penned. No… it’s because it’s a good story, but it needs to be better.
The story is now more complicated because I’m privy to various different perspectives of it – not just my own. I take the views of my beta readers seriously and I work hard to address all the issues they flag, suggestions they make.
I have a great story, with a unique twist on the vampire trope. I have some wonderful characters. I have set the story in a very Australia space and cultural atmosphere, but the story needs some key ingredients to lock it all together in a cohesive fashion.
What I don’t have is a clean narrative line from start to finish. My POV jumps around as does my time line. So whose POV do I choose? There is an obvious choice… but I’m not one to go with obvious. I fear I’m not in love enough with any of my characters to give them the POV and perhaps the one who comes closest won’t provide a continuous POV. Death sucks (no pun intended!)
The there’s the timing. How do I resolve the jumps between the different time periods without ’10 years earlier’ tag. There are a couple of small solutions growing, but nothing screaming pick me.
Ahead of me is a lot of thinking time, as much as writing time. I wish I had another week, but I have another 2 days. Lucky for me… I have a road map in the print outs scattered around my desk.
What are you your third draft experiences?
Pursuing Parallels 
I can so empathise. I have a story I love, but there is a huge issue with how the story flows and I haven’t yet figured out how to get around it!
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I have a deadline to figure it out… so please, please, please story… be kind to me.
Let me know when and how you get around yours?
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I am sure you will find your way route through the story and past the dead-ends. I have just realised that a story I am half-way through needs a whole other character in it for it to work properly. So lots to sort there in the second draft, let alone the third.
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Thanks for the vote of confidence Dan… I think I’m getting there. Just telling myself once I get the start sorted… the middle is solid… and then there’s just the ending… ARGH!!!
A whole new character… much better than cutting a whole character. Count me for a beta read when you’re ready.
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