The Hard Stuff

Right now, we are in a very slow moving part of being a writer.  The book is not finished yet, but we have noticed areas that need some attention.  To that end we have recently started our first rewrite, and it is a very slow process. 

In the creation of any new world, and magical system, there are struggles.  How much of the world is like Earth? What names do we use when referring to positions of authority, King, Monarch, Priest, or Shaman?  Do we create new names based on those positions?  Do we give a species of animal the same name they have on earth, or spend three paragraphs describing a worm with a different name?  Given the thousands of different styles of castles that have been built throughout the centuries (Shield shape, Square, Rectangle, Small building with a big wall, Big building with a small wall, Defensive or Palace), what do we use?  We are giving these things a great deal of thought right now

Why are we putting so much thought into the little details?  Well, we are trying to show respect to each and every reader who may come across our book.  There are those who can pick up a book and completely loose themselves in a world without questioning a thing they read.  There are also some who will pick up a book and hate the author because they use the wrong hinge on a door for the period the book is written in. We want both of these readers to enjoy our novel.

In that light, we have started our first rewrite. The story will remain the same, but we are paying close attention to the details. I have to tell you that this is the hardest part for me. I want to charge head strong into the next chapters. I want to finish and then look back and fix. One thing holds me back from doing this. Other than the fact that my wonderful co-writer will choke slam me into a wall.

“It always costs more to fix, then it does to build.”

That is a bit of advice my Uncle passed my way while working in construction.  That is so true.  If I dove in and completed this book, then went back to give everything its title or name, I would be at it a whole lot longer.  I would have to hunt down each and every scene, read it hundreds of times with a magnifying glass and hope.  Pray night and day as we watch reviews come in, that we caught every one.

So we are investing the time now. Investing, investing, and investing.  I have to keep telling myself that, or I will go mad.  The reason for it is good, but lord help me if I don’t have enough patience to make it through this time. :-)