Odds and Ends

Writing continues on Rema.

I've finished a complete draft of the whole manuscript (about 300pp), each chapter having gone through several drafts already. Now I'm trudging my way carefully through the second draft, and have just started chapter 8.

The second draft is COMPLETELY different than the first. Characters get dropped, scenes get cut, some characters even have a gender change (don't worry -- all the main ones are the same). It feels awesome!

I was stuck, sitting on the rough draft, since I was 15. I didn't have the guts to cut and mangle the story until I was able to wade through it completely, first. Only then could I step back and see what it was that I was really trying to talk about all these years. And in the end, the story is much simpler than I ever thought.

I've been sharing the first five chapters with select friends that are around, and people seem to like it, which is a huge relief. Now that I'm confident, I'm going to hold off on showing it to anyone else until it's completed. I can't wait to share it with everyone, though! But it will definitely be a while.

Kazu and I will be in Japan for two weeks in December, then the holidays are here. Things will be hectic, but I'm hoping to finish a readable draft by the end of December. If I can't make it, though, so be it. I'm taking my time on this one and perfecting it to the best of my ability. I don't mind it, though. I've discovered that I love everything about writing, and it is definitely "my medium", so the process of rewriting is fun, if not something of an emotional roller coaster (a good one).

Anyway, just thought I'd leave an update and say hello. My website is getting dusty. All I can think about these days is Rema...