Friday 11 January 2008

Novel thoughts

It has actually been good to be away from the novel for a bit, as I did the grand read through yesterday from the beginning to get the feel of it again. I also read it aloud to see how it sounded – this actually turned out to be most important, as the rhythms of the words really kicked in when spoken aloud.

I noticed that there were a few paragraphs that seemed clunky that I will have to go back to – odd POV and tense changes that I have to tighten. But the main thing I noticed was that I repeat the same words very close together, or use the same description again and again. AGH! In fact, it feels very much like a bony outline of a novel that needs to eat more pies.

Another interesting thing is my main character is an old lady, yet sometimes I think I make her sound more like me. So I need to go back and check that she sounds her age consistently and doesn’t veer into modern terminology. She might have picked up on some things but it’s the pattern of speech that should stay the same.

So – lots of work ahead! But I am ignoring all that above until later, must break chapter 13 today! No matter what, I need that puppy finished, as I promised C it would be done! Oh boy…

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