CjEggett

I’ve just finished my first read-through-and-scribble-on of last year’s #NaNoWriMo novel. I was excited.

I’ve cleaned it up a bit, chopped huge pointless chucks out. I’ve added bevelled edges and embroided a little.

I realised that yes, I had built this book upside down, the foundations sat on the top, ugly, heavy, and badly supported from below.

I realised I lacked friction - so I added some. I rubbed gravel in it it’s face, the book said to me, through sobbing tears: “I never knew that friction would be so gritty”.

I repatriated a snippet here, a chapter there to new homelands where they add tension and respite from the main drag of the story (and yes, it did feel like a draaag to read).

Actually, I’ve yet to move anything about, but I’ve put the signposts in. I plan to use Scrivener to do these edits - after all, it is highly praised.

And I must offer my thanks. To all of you who have let me, until this point, remain precious with this work. I’ve not let you read it once (for bloody good reason mind, why not read these instead) and even when you’ve made impassioned pleas I say “no, it is not ready”.

But now the tables will be turned and you’ll get what you wanted - I’ll be asking you to read it. If you’ve got the copy of the book you will be harassed into reading it. I will ring you, every day, to ask “Hey, what did you think?”

You’d better have a good answer.