Before I started drafting chapter one, I bounced a few ideas off my husband. I knew which one I liked best but I was seeking validation. “Don’t do that one. This one will be more positive.”
Really? I still wasn’t sure it was the right choice but I gave it a try. I simply am not loving this chapter. It doesn’t have enough tension. It feels amorphous.
Sure, I could rewrite it but before I do, I’m going to try something else. I’m going to draft a completely different chapter. This isn’t just a case of “I’m right and you’re wrong.” It is a matter of paying attention to my writing hunches.
Years ago, I was at the KS-Mo SCBWI Advanced Writers Retreat with Karen Boss of Charlesbridge. She told about sending out a rejection letter. She e-mailed the writer, briefly explaining why the manuscript didn’t quite work. She got a response. “Thank you for your feedback on my manuscript. That’s what I thought was the problem, too.”
Boss went on to explain that this didn’t happen to her once but multiple times. Sometimes it was face-to-face at a conference critique. Other times it was following a rejection letter.
What’s the problem with telling an editor that you too had spotted that problem? Because if something isn’t working as it should, and you realize it, you need to fix it. If as you are revising, you have this niggling feeling that the setting is too generic or you need more beats of action, fixt it. Rewrite your story. Don’t wait and see if someone else notices the problem. This is especially true if your work is going to an agent or an editor.
Have faith in your instincts. Let them tell you when to scrap something or make repairs.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 