Rewriting

I’m still plugging away at this book, with the plodding pace that comes with having to write a scene before I know what the scene should be, so I then have to rewrite it. But I’m getting close to the end, around 25,000 words to go. I made a list of things that need to happen before the end of the book, and there’s just one I’m not entirely sure of, whether it should be resolved here or kept for a sequel.

My ongoing dilemma is deciding when to just get something done and move on and when to make things difficult for my characters. When should I just let them do, find, or learn something so they can get to the next part of the story, and when should it be a struggle to do, find, or learn something? I think the answer is that it should be a struggle when it has something to do with the plot — would the antagonists stand in the way at this point? Would someone have had a reason to make something hard to do here? Otherwise, it’s just throwing in artificial conflict.

And then last night I read a deal announcement for a book that fits in the same general category as this one. It sounds like a very different treatment of the concept, but is still playing in the same space. It was a really good deal, sold at auction for six figures. I don’t know whether to find that encouraging and a good sign that publishers might be looking for something like this or to worry that this means publishers will say this is too much like that one.

Come to think of it, from what I know of publishers, it should be a good sign. I might not be able to sell to that publisher, but the auction losers might be looking for something like it.

So I’ll keep plugging.