Editing

[darkemeralds]

ravurian, one of those rare birds who is an accomplished writer and an incisive editor, has been helping me face the editing of Restraint for publication by breaking the massive project into a series of approachable steps.

• Task One: summarize the whole novel in a sentence.
  
  This is painfully difficult, and I couldn't have done it without stealing from ravurian's original review of the story. It takes an outsider to boil the outpourings of your heart down to a single sentence, lemme tell ya.
  
  Here's a Twitterized version:
  
  A story of art, identity and sexuality in 19th century England, and the changing fortunes of two men whose love defies society's constraints.


• Task Two: write a three-sentence summary of each chapter.
  
  Not nearly as painful as Task One, Task Two has thrown into high relief all the dear scenes of pure, beloved fanservice (shaving scene, anyone?), and the authorial self-indulgence for which the story has been justly criticized.


• Task Three: print out these summaries (paper! I know, right?) and slice them into strips, then lay them out and scootch them around to find new structure possibilities.
  
  
  Laying it all out.
  
  
  Junior editor
  
  
  Randomness! Maybe I can read the pile like Tarot cards or something.

So far, I've identified four places other than Chapter 1 where I could potentially start the story for greater impact. Three big thematic groups have emerged. The key points of conflict are clear. I'm starting to see the story's new shape. It's kind of exciting.



So, thanks to ravurian (and Graydie), I'm on my way.

(I need a project name. Hmm. "Project Publish"? "Project Cut 100,000 Words"? "Project File Off The Serial Numbers"? Suggestions?)

Comments

[executrix]

"Project Lucifer"?
To end this tale, just call me Lucifer...
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

[darkemeralds]

Ha! Pleased to meetchoo!

[executrix]

Long Spoon sold separately.

[donutsweeper]

Your assistant there seems less intent on helping than one would have hoped.....

[darkemeralds]

I'm viewing the strips she kicked off the table as oracles.

[ranunculus]

FOTSN?
PCW 100K?

[darkemeralds]

I like FOTSN. It sounds a bit like "flotsam".

[ranunculus]

I love flotsam, but FOTSN seems rather more positive for a writing project!! Still I love the sillyness of the acronym.

[panisdead]

SUPER INTERESTING to watch the de- and re-construction. I hope you continue to post about this as it pleases you!

[darkemeralds]

I'm planning to hold my own feet to the fire by being as public with this process as I can, while not boring everyone to bits.

[ravurian]

GOWI (Get On With It). JDI (Just Do It). SOGOP (Shit or get off pot). DNGBTS (Do Not Go Back To Sleep!), which you could call Dingbats! TRON - Tristan/John and The Restraint Original Novel Project. I could go on. The possibilities are endless.

[darkemeralds]

Your forgot FOCB, Fish or Cut Bait.

How is it that you're so fucking incisive? I mean. Yes, I'm procrastinating. But at least I'm procrastinating ABOUT the thing I'm putting off till tomorrow. :P

[kis]

So, you're actually doing it!

ravurian, one of those rare birds who is an accomplished writer and an incisive editor has been helping me face the editing

And you found someone perfect to help!

[darkemeralds]

ravurian's a hardass. I don't think he'd mind my saying so. :D He keeps asking me questions like "Are you sure it starts there? How about over here?" and "Could you conceal the identity of the blackmailer for longer?" and "What about telling the story backwards?". He keeps saying there's not enough real jeopardy in the central conflict. OMG! I'm tossing and turning trying to think up more real jeopardy because he's right.

Etc.

The project probably isn't as daunting as it feels right now. A lot of my angst lies along the continuum of "Is this part too fannish? Is this part too naughty? Does mainstream fiction allow this? Where is my intuition? Can I trust my gut on this?" and all sorts of other neurotic internal monologue. I'll try not to go nuts.

[kis]

Well, good luck with it.

[tehomet]

Junior editor

*cackles*

[darkemeralds]

She's surprisingly persnickety about adverbs.

[wedjateye]

Hi - random flyby. Good on you for taking this on. I shall cross everything.

The only useful piece of advice I picked up somewhere about being published (possibly from Neil Gaiman but I don't recall precisely) was basically you have to write for yourself, things you want to read, and not for some mythical audience taste. Easy to spout that when I'm not trying to be published, of course.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you already wrote what you wanted to. Squillions of others liked it (judging by AO3 numbers). So by all means change it in the ways you want to but the shameless bits you put in for you and other fans may be the bits that make people want to buy it.

Good luck!

I'd like to say I'll be around more but it's probably unrealistic.

[darkemeralds]

Hi there, Stranger! Always a delight to hear from your ultra-busy self. :D

Good advice, and very timely, as I once again try to tackle this monster and find myself daunted by this, that, and the other external consideration. (I finally started watching Downton Abbey last night and when the gay-love-letters-and-blackmail theme popped up right there in Season 1 Episode 1 I nearly fell into despair with thoughts of OMG IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE I MIGHT AS WELL NOT BOTHER WOE IS ME. Then I thought, hey, maybe Downton Abbey copied ME! LOL Mine is a crazy mind.)

I hope you and your family are well, I do miss hearing about your life. Thanks for stopping in!

[wedjateye]

I miss talking about my life and hearing about yours in turn. That was the reason for the flyby - I wondered how you were. Your icon brought a (mixed happy and wistful) tear to my eye.

Perhaps one day soonish I can be around more regularly. My youngest is 2 1/2 now and I get regular sleep but I still seem to have very, very little free time. My desk is avalanching behind me as I write! Still, it's mostly happy chaos.

[darkemeralds]

That is so lovely to hear! Wow, 2-1/2 already. People with kids have such strong temporal markers, while those of us without them just live in a haze of undifferentiated time. I hope you do find time to blog a little more before long. It would be fun to see family pictures and read your stories.