Reshaping the Blade - Revising the Novel Update

 

Been in revision mode for a bit. It's time I share my progress

 

The last time I wrote something on my writing journey, it was a bit critical and dark. I've had a tendency to question and be hard on myself, especially when something that I'd written didn't jive, didn't resonate, or had significant holes or issues. I'd see it as a flaw within me, rather than a nudge to take some time to patch things up.

I've decided to go about it differently this time. Instead of being critical, I just wanted to share with you the latest happenings with Blade of Echoes.

What's Being Targeted

As of this writing, I am nearly a fifth of the way through in my scene Level revisions. This is chop number five for me, and I'm sure there will be a few more tweaks along the way. However, I feel that this time around, I've been able to shake the tree a lot more and better shape the overall story in big ways.

I owe thanks to my critique group for taking the time to read my novel clusters with a close eye and attention to detail. If it were not for their honest and careful feedback, I never would have realized flaws like:

1. Conflict with the Tenses
2. My Protagonist not having a true goal to focus on (comes up later in the story but this made me want to sprinkle more up front)
3. Issues with settings and context
4. Jargon and highly technical language not understood by all (who is my target audience?)
5. Character inconsistencies or confusion with events and placements

Each comment left at first felt like a stab. A reminder that I was unfortunately not there yet. However, as I read those comments and got into the physical art of revision, those comments opened up a world of awareness and possibility, and have helped me further sharpen the blade on my craft, and for that, ten chapters in, I may still have my fears, but I am eternally grateful.

How the Blade has been Sharpened

First thing I had to rectify was the opening. Originally I had an opening scene that talked about Deimos and the relationship to his team, as well as a smidge about the environment. But after listening (and maybe misinterpreting) to some writing podcasts and lectures from classes I took, I jumped straight into the action, not realizing that I still needed to clearly establish time, a setting, and context to tie it all together. So I ended up restructuring the opening but pulling in three different old drafts.

I also gutted a chunk of the first battle and re-wrote it because I wanted to give the first bad guy some depth, depth that would drive internal conflict with my protagonist and his team. I feel really good about this change! Why? Interiority of the bad guy, with an impulsive twist!

I've planted the seeds of character development and change between my main and Rene aka Ree-Ree, the sister of one of his now deceased teammates. The brother-sister relationship will be key to both of their mental health and also solidify a path they both have been treading: finding the truth about the attack that killed her sister and his friends.

Something else I've been working on is highlighting Deimos relationship with his now fractured family due to his recent divorce. The biggest impact and driver for what Deimos does is with his kids, but I really didn't do a great job yet to convey just how important the kids were to him, so I've planted little breadcrumbs of that not just by mention but something subtle like the furniture he has in his apartment, pictures on his phone, dreams, messages, etc. I'll still have to work out some kinks but it's coming along.

I don't want to say I've watered down the fight scenes, but I've focused on making them clear cut, and removed as much military jargon as I could, such as specific names of weapons used and spilling the technical beans on how they all worked. My critique group told me if it's a gun shoot... Destroy or kill things. If it's a sword, cut, stab. Show us that don't tell us.. Heh, I still am learning what that all entails and that is what makes it so much more impactful. I am learning things and practicing new skills as I revise.

What Lays Ahead

I still have so much work to do as I am now officially 1/5th of the way through, and as scary as it was, I am very proud of myself seeing how far I've come from idea to revision.

I am still jotting down ideas for the story, which may or may not play into a future work or spin off. Yes, I am building my own Universe out of it!

I've decided to manipulate character dynamics, change character names and allegiances based on what if and why not scenarios in my head. The biggest changes will be in the main Antagonist. His back story will really pull you in... I just need to develop and plant the seeds in a way that will get readers to question whether they hate the guy or not.

My biggest goal right now is to make sure that all my characters are believable. Deimos is a bad ass with skin in the game but he's also human... Flawed... And I will make sure that his losses sting and force him to change. In fact he has significant losses coming.

Sure this is taking a long time to revise, pretty much a chapter a week (editors would eat me alive in a traditional space) but it is MY Work and it's my honor and duty to cultivate it in a way that honors my thoughts, my internal pace, and my external responsibilities especially as a family man and a person with so many interests and a shifting energy pulse by the minute.

All I know is I am proud of my work and most of all proud of me. I'm not like other authors that have it all together... I am me, and that is all I need to be.

Until next time my Outcasts!

#InkInAction #BladeofEchoes #DebutNovel #WIP #SpecFic #Unskrypted