…for the illustrious JeniChappelle to critique my second draft of War Sonnets, I’ve turned my attention to another work-in-progress: And Know They Love You.
When I started writing this story (in–yikes!–1998), it was a challenge to myself to complete a novella-length work. When finished, it came in at just less than 27,000 words.
Mission accomplished.
I was proud of my work. It was good–at least I thought so. But now that I’ve learned the basics of storytelling, I can see that my novella is pitifully incomplete. The concept is good, but the execution? Almost cringeworthy.
So I went back to the proverbial drawing board. How could I take my original story and flesh it out into a bonafide well-written novel?
For the past few weeks I’ve gone back to the basics of character arc, story arc, and plot development. I have a ways to go but I feel like I have a much better handle on my characters and what each journey might look like. I’ve taken a look at the structure of my novel and the way I piece together my four main characters’ stories.
In the end, a lot about And Know They Love You is going to change. Probably a lot.
But isn’t that what writing is all about?
Susannah Willey Writes 