So, my last week was spent converting an old manuscript called Every Witch Way from first person present tense point of view to third person past tense point of view. My hands hurt. It was a constant drudgery of point, click, replace, repeat. Ouch!

I finished it yesterday morning. Yay! Now I have to add the hero’s point of view in there somewhere and maybe add a middle. It’s amazing that I wrote 60K (yes, SIXTY THOUSAND words) and never managed to write the middle of the book. More ouch. That means there are plot holes big enough to drive a Mack truck through–sideways. Maybe two side by side. What I have is good, it’s just not even close to done. I’m waaaaaaay less close than I thought. I need 90-100K and I was lulled into a falses ense of security by getting to 60K. Another ouch.

What I found was that my first chapter is one huge info dump. Like I don’t get to any action or even talk about where my heroine is or what she’s doing until page ten. TEN! Yeah, that section needs to be neutered and put elsewhere. Major ouch.

Still, I felt a major sense of accomplishment that I finished the first phase of the overhaul. That part is done, complete, finito. Yay! Now on to the fifty thousand other phases.

What about you? Have you ever tried to overhaul a book, or have one you intend to overhaul? How did you get through it without being totally overwhelmed by the project (or underwhelmed by your older material)? Thoughts or suggestions on this one?

Thanks!
Crystal Jordan

8 Responses to “Complete and Replete (or is it Repeat?)”

1. Sara Dennis Says:
   December 18th, 2006 at 11:43 pm

   I have a book that’s in a sort of limbo, as one of the protagonists wants a POV, but I wrote the first part in first person. I’m toying with the notion of dual first-person POV, because I don’t want to redo the story in third.

2. Jen Says:
   December 18th, 2006 at 11:56 pm

   I opened one…..and then closed it again.
   You’re braver than I am. And funnier.
   Someday I may, but for now, it lays in a respectful silence collecting computer dust.

3. Amie Stuart Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 12:52 am

   Yeah and it makes me ill to think about it. =(

   I’m going to tackle it in February though so help me God! *shaking fist in the air*

4. Amie Stuart Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 12:52 am

   PS YEAH i can comment again!

5. Shelli Stevens Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 2:18 am

   I have overhauled two books so far, which was a bit of a headache, but not the migraine. I have one, that would be the migraine. It was–sigh–my first

6. Loribelle Hunt Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 2:34 am

   I have one that needs a rehaul (yes, Until Death). I’m gonna try to get to it after the Valentine’s story is done. I’m expecting major headaches from it.

7. Dayna_Hart Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 3:33 am

   I still have it in storage. I’m breaking bits and pieces of it to use as other, shorter stories.

   Fortunately (said with sarcasm) I never tended to finish anything I started. So, although I have ideas that are decades old, I have no wordcount to go with them.

   I do have three vampire stories in storage I’ve pulled out time and again. I rewrite them. I use the original as an outline, but start right from word one, all over again.

   And yeah, none of the rewrites are done either.

8. Crystal Jordan Says:
   December 19th, 2006 at 4:02 pm

   Ouch, Dayna! You’re way braver than I am!