Great workshop & big (for me) breakthrough

Last Saturday (28 July) we had a fantastic workshop with writer Libby Gleeson.

Libby has had a long and distinguished career as a children's writer and her list includes award winning picture books, chapter books and young adult fiction. Her workshop had some great exercises that really helped me to focus on what was and wasn't working in my manuscript. And, as a result of one exercise, I was able to come up with a big breakthrough that will (hopefully) have a positive impact on my story.

I know when it comes to the tough bits in a story, I have a tendency to write around them. Even though it's fiction, it can be really confronting to tell the truth of a story. But Libby encouraged me to do just that.

So now I have the task of rewriting the manuscript from the climax scene (chapter 20) onwards. I've rewrittent the climax scene and posted it for critiquing this week. I'm looking forward to some excellent feedback to help me improve it.

The climax is not pleasant. In fact it's quite violent and scary. I don't know what potential publishers will think about that. But at the moment, that's not my concern. Telling the best story that I can, is.

And the positive thing is, Tash and Mal's friendship not only survives the climax, but becomes better for it. So in the end there will be a happy (ish) ending.

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

I've been going through Sharyn's 'to-do' list for my manuscript and I did a whole heap of writing on the weekend. I think it's going okay.

Alot of it is going back in and putting in 'clues'. Well, not so much clues as bits of information that add to the story so that there is more of a consistent build up to the climax.

That's where having an independent person reading your manuscript is so helpful - they can see the bits that you're missing; the bits that you've assumed people will work out (often because they were actually in earlier drafts and you've since cut them out!)

One of the things Sharyn and Viv picked up on was that I had virtually no physical description of the main characters. That was something I had included in earlier drafts but had gradually cut out so there was none left (because of course I know what they look like!).

But it's a bit tricky for me because I hate large hunks of description, especially physical description. I prefer a lighter touch so the reader can picture their own version of the character in their head.

Hopefully with this last rewrite I've got the balance right. If not I'm sure the manuscript assessor will tell me :)

Supervisors' feedback

Sharyn (my main supervisor) and assistant supervisor Viv have both read the latest version of Girl in the Shadows and given feedback.

They were very encouraging and Sharyn feels it's almost there. But she still gave me a list of things to work on before I send it off for manuscript appraisal!

I started on the list this weekend and I think it should only take me a couple more weekends of work to get it ready for the manuscript appraisal. Most of the stuff is pretty minor, but that doesn't mean it's not tricky. Sometimes just trying to find a place to stick a sentence can be a minefield.

I'm really at the stage now where it's just tidying things up. Putting in pieces of information to make it all flow (sometimes I forget to tell the reader stuff I know) and, in some ways, laying those clues that make it all make sense in the end.

There are a couple things on the suggestion list that I'm not going to change, though. Like Tash's diary entries. I realise they're a bit experimental but I think the way she writes them is integral to her character. I don't want to change them unless I'm forced to (eg someone dangles a million dollar contract in front of me...). Even then I reckon I might not change them.

So I'm aiming to have it ready to send to the manuscript appraisal service by the end of this month. that gives me 2 weeks. No worries!