Over the summer I finished a first draft of a middle grade piece I've been working on for about 17 years. I'd been wanting to finish it for ages and never gotten around to it because I was working on my YA fantasy fiction about Catherine of Mercia. I pitched the Catherine story at the SF Writer's Conference in February and knew there was a lot more work to do on it. Once the middle grade draft was done I turned my attention back to to Catherine, and realized the story in its current form is not salvageable.
It was a tough realization, but an important one. I had purposely let the story sit while I worked on something else so that I would be able to come back and look at it with fresh eyes. It wasn't the discovery I was hoping to make, but it is no less important.
So, put it away and start something new, or start almost from scratch and do a massive rewrite? It actually wasn't even a question for me. This story is one that is incredibly close to my heart and, regardless of whether or not I ever publish it, I have to get it right. For me. Walking away is not something I'm prepared to do yet.
That means going back to the drawing board. I've already done one big rewrite, but the one I'm planning now is going to be completely different. Same main characters, brand new world, brand new plot. Throwing all 97,000 words that I wrote in my last draft and starting with a blank page.
So, that's where I am. I've spent the last couple of months re-plotting and world building, and I'm ready to start again. It's a daunting prospect. What if I don't get it right, again? But I'm going for it. Page one, chapter one. Let's go.
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