The book that I wrote last year, and put away for almost six months—The Integration Project—is well into the second write.
As Stephen King said: First write for yourself; then write for others.
I put off this rewrite for so long. On my Wednesdays since putting it away, I’ve been working on other things; lately, those other things have been monographs and essays that are destined for Propaganda. I just couldn’t reach on The Integration Project.
Part of the reason is because I had earmarked this week to finish it and get it out to Alpha readers. Part of the reason is because it was so intimidating. I had rewritten the characters and the story, and approaching the second write was all kinds of daunting.
Today, two days into The Rewrite Week, I’m already 21,548 words in.
I know, that’s fairly meaningless.
In real terms, it’s so far 11 chapters or 31 (maybe 32) scenes in, and have just gotten past the first turning point of the story. From here onwards, shit gets real and I’m excited.
The most exciting thing about this is that I can really feel each character more. I know who they are and why they’re where they are. I’ve loosened my grasp on the sense of time, so that you as a reader can put it into a structure that makes sense for you.
And the most fun thing of all is the new sexual tension between the protagonist and her antagonist.
Who knew that sexual tension was so much fun to write? Well, ok. I did. It gives me a new string to play with both characters, and it allows me to underpin the motivations of each one of them with nuances that they were just lacking prior.
Stephen King wrote in On Writing that your second draft ought to be 25% shorter than your first draft. So far, so good. I seem to be cutting out entire pages of guff, and replacing them with meaningful and contributory story.
And I’m finally excited about it again.
Stay tuned for more updates on this throughout the week! And if you’d like to get the real insider view, become a sponsor for just $1 per month.
This week I’m streaming live on Twitch while I write. It’s not exactly riveting viewing, watching a writer pound the keyboard, but I’ll be chatting and talking a bit about the project throughout each day.
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