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Tonight, anyway.
I'm more and more dissatisfied with the book, which is I believe a developmental inevitability. Here are some things that irritate me at the moment (when I am about 4.5K from the end of the first draft -- i.e., three days' work):
1. If the protagonist is going to be such a whiny little guy, shouldn't he be deliberately ridiculous?
2. Or maybe he should be less whiny instead.
3. If the love-object is going to be so relentless in pursuing the Truth About Skip, maybe I should give him a better motivation than Love At First Sight, which he's already been noted not to believe in?
4. Maybe this guy ought to have some motivation at all? And maybe a little more back story?
5. If the title of the book is A Suitable Lover, and the germ of the book is that conversation about how Skip is a perpetually unsuitable lover, maybe the idea shouldn't be introduced and dropped in a few chapters?
6. Why on earth do I find it necessary to have the people who like Skip the most bitch him out at every opportunity? If he's that annoying,how do I expect anybody to want to read about him?
7. Skip's sex schtick seriously needs tweaking. Also Marcus's. I don't so much think that the scenes themselves are so bad, but one of the things about Skip is supposed to be that he'll do whatever the other guy wants -- whatever, within reason -- so the three? sex scenes in the book shouldn't read the same, should they?
8. Why should anybody care about the minutiae of Skip's back story? Why does it matter whether he ran away or was thrown out of his ex's apartment? Why does it matter whether he tried to call afterwards or not?
On another front,I have made large strides towards cleaning up my front yard. I cut quince branches for hours today. We filled the greencycle can and we have a pile more of sticks. I hoed away at the dirt strip that ought to be a sidewalk. Tomorrow: more raking and sweeping, and if I can find the sticker for extra recycle pickup I'll bag the extra sticks and label the bag for pickup Wednesday. I also made leek and potato soup, only a week later than I said I would.
Frank looks glowy and golden in sky blue.
I'm more and more dissatisfied with the book, which is I believe a developmental inevitability. Here are some things that irritate me at the moment (when I am about 4.5K from the end of the first draft -- i.e., three days' work):
1. If the protagonist is going to be such a whiny little guy, shouldn't he be deliberately ridiculous?
2. Or maybe he should be less whiny instead.
3. If the love-object is going to be so relentless in pursuing the Truth About Skip, maybe I should give him a better motivation than Love At First Sight, which he's already been noted not to believe in?
4. Maybe this guy ought to have some motivation at all? And maybe a little more back story?
5. If the title of the book is A Suitable Lover, and the germ of the book is that conversation about how Skip is a perpetually unsuitable lover, maybe the idea shouldn't be introduced and dropped in a few chapters?
6. Why on earth do I find it necessary to have the people who like Skip the most bitch him out at every opportunity? If he's that annoying,how do I expect anybody to want to read about him?
7. Skip's sex schtick seriously needs tweaking. Also Marcus's. I don't so much think that the scenes themselves are so bad, but one of the things about Skip is supposed to be that he'll do whatever the other guy wants -- whatever, within reason -- so the three? sex scenes in the book shouldn't read the same, should they?
8. Why should anybody care about the minutiae of Skip's back story? Why does it matter whether he ran away or was thrown out of his ex's apartment? Why does it matter whether he tried to call afterwards or not?
On another front,I have made large strides towards cleaning up my front yard. I cut quince branches for hours today. We filled the greencycle can and we have a pile more of sticks. I hoed away at the dirt strip that ought to be a sidewalk. Tomorrow: more raking and sweeping, and if I can find the sticker for extra recycle pickup I'll bag the extra sticks and label the bag for pickup Wednesday. I also made leek and potato soup, only a week later than I said I would.
Frank looks glowy and golden in sky blue.
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And, you know, you should listen to everything I think, because I have no idea what I'm talking about, have NEVER gotten as far as you have, and have I think TWO total publishing credits to my name, well, EVER. And one was a 1500 word essay and the other was a 1200 word short story that sucks in a LARGE manner.
So I guess you should just do what you think you should do. I just think it would feel like such a milestone to have the draft done that you would be in better spirits doing even major rewrites than if you start before you finish, if that makes any sense. Almost all atmospheric, but hey! That can mean a lot for the gumption and attitude to keep doing it!!
I also think these are really interesting smart questions. Does Skip's backstory matter for some of his motivation? So if you took it out you might be asking the questions you ask about love interest in ##3 and 4 about Skip, too? But maybe it's not all tied together yet nicely enough to see that.