Always the last to know

So here's a little update on Bound. Last I left it, I was getting ready to send it off to my readers. But then, surprise, surprise, I decided to edit it some more. And then revise. Rewrite. I think I came up for air at this point, but I can't be altogether sure on this. Back to editing.

Then I gave up and let it sit.

Again.

I swear I've revised that book at least thirty times.  And then I got something in the mail last week that knocked Bound on its ear.  A report card of sorts, sent by an agent who'd rated the first chapter of Bound.

I was given a lot to think about, things that I hadn't considered.  And then things I'd already caught and corrected and changed a billion times because, of course, I'd sent the MS in around 4 months ago and so my original writing has changed a hundred fold.

One thing the ever so kind agent pointed out is that I need to watch my backstory. Agreed! You won't hear any arguing there!  I even see it in Grace Ruined, uggg, gotta fix that and some other spelling & grammatical errors.  Anyway, I digress.

The point is, because of their feedback, I see some real issues that need work. The setting for example.
 I don't provide enough of a backdrop. My characters, where the heck are they? In my opinion, who the hell cares.

Honestly, don't you just hate books filled with tons of flowery scenes describing in great detail some lush green field with dandelions and fluttering birds, scampering wood mice making their way into a desolate crinkled tree stump. Yuck! Are you kidding me? As a reader I want to tell the author to stop wasting my time. Get on with the story already.  But there is a need for some kind of placement, to ground the characters, to offer a sense of balance. So I agree with them on this issue. What's really funny, is that I'd already changed the beginning scene, and now the reader knows exactly where my characters are. I make it known in the first chapter--without the extra unnecessary crap. And it only took me about 3 months to figure out what someone else knew at first glance.

Us writers are always the last to know. Can't see the forest for the trees and all that. Why is it so easy to edit other people but then glaze out when trying to recognize our own mistakes? Everyday I find myself mentally correcting not only other bloggers, but other professional writing sites, and editors and agents, alike. Everyone else's spelling or grammatical errors blink at me in vivid shades of crimson with the shrill sound of sirens going off in the background--while my blatant mistakes slip by undetected.

I think I may need another writer friend.  Someone who is willing to point out the obvious and I would do the same for them. Any takers out there?? :P

Whoops! There I go again, heading in another direction. Back to the report card. So I guess, other than those two problems, I need only do some small tweaking. Overall, I fall somewhere between "Shows promise" and "Very Strong Potential."

So it's back to the drawing board. Because for me, small tweaking is never actually "small". I'm rewriting Lillian (my protagonist), changing her completely. This means I'll probably be on here once a week instead of most days. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, just slowing down a little so I can get this MS kicked out once and for all.

And when I'm all done, I promise, you'll be the first to know!