Revising the MS, I’m at a point that is the writing equivalent of rebuilding a car engine when all the hundreds of parts are scattered on the tarp. I’m pretty sure I know where the bits will go, now I just have to put them in (and make them all shiny). But if you were to come into the office/garage and take a look, you’d say “Whoa, I thought you said it was nearly ready for second readers/hitting the road.”
Last time, I slowed way down during this part, kind of delighting in careful word choices while avoiding rewriting difficult scenes. So this time I set a fierce deadline for first-pass revises–next Friday–and now I’m feeling the strain. First step is a Wednesday deadline for a clean version of the first 25 pages, to enter the Beau Monde’s annual contest. This is the romance-writing group dedicated to the Regency period, so the competition is tough but the critiques I’ll get back priceless. As I’m entering only three contests this year (under the new austerity plan), I want this one to count.
First chapters are both easy and hard. They’re fun to whip out on first draft, then on the next passes you have to maintain that light, engaging voice to hook readers while trying to cram all the clues and setup for what is to follow, most of which you don’t know until you’ve finished the book. Everything matters.
So, I’m pledging here to post the first chapter by tomorrow noon. It’s not the “meet,” just an introduction to the heroine, but sets the tone (I hope) and is unusual enough to pique the interest of historical and romance readers.
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