Tag: editing

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Cutting Room Floor: Part 3

Scraps of papers on tiled floorSo, for the first time in my history of writing, I honestly don’t think I have a protagonist, and if I do it’s a tough call which one of my “main” characters it would be. The novel has a sort of staccato rhythm as it jumps back and forth between one character and the next, and amazingly enough I like the pacing and the lack of a solid “lead” character. In fact, I liken it to movie with an ensemble cast where everyone keeps up their end of the action. As I go back through the novel one more time for this final edit (the word “final” being relative, knowing me), I’m fascinated by the interconnections.

Now, of course, by fascinated I mean it’s a complex dynamic between characters in a very tight timeline. While I was initially writing it I moved through the complexity pretty quickly, but looking back on it it’s another one of those pieces that just seemed to write itself. Those are my favorites by far.

Well, I’m no closer to coming up with a title, but I’ve made a decision on that. Unless one just comes to me in an epiphany, while I’m editing I’m going to leave it to the side. That of course also affects the cover art, but I’ll deal with that as we get closer to the end of the month. Ideally I would like for my title to come from a pithy line in the novel itself. Those are probably my favorite titles, the ones that remind the reader when they get to it why the book was named thusly. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but inspiration could of course strike at any time. The second I know the title, you will know the title. That’s a promise. Continue reading “Cutting Room Floor: Part 3”

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Cutting Room Floor: Part 2

Scraps of papers on tiled floorFor some reason, I guess I like telling stories that shift, either in perspective, in plot, or in time. My debut novel did all three at the same time, weaving them together in an interesting tapestry, and this new novel does similar things, at least to plot and perspective. I wrote the initial draft of the novel in the span of three weeks. In fact, it’s the fastest I’ve ever finished the first draft of anything larger than a short story. Of course the speediness of the manuscript lent itself also to a plethora of re-writes just for plot discrepancies that always creep in but tend to do even more so when a piece is written so quickly. I was surprised, however, upon my first and second edits, to find not too many plot holes and issues.

Now, as I work on the final edit, I’m reminded of why this story was so interesting to me in the first place. I’ve always been fascinated by books, shows, and movies about bank robberies. At the time I started to write the first manuscript there was a book published called The Heist, by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, and it reminded me of my dormant obsession with the genre. While that book was a massive disappointment, I nonetheless credit it with rekindling the fire inside of me. Right away I started writing and I didn’t stop until it was finished.

It’s slated for release on February 18th, and to say I’m excited is putting it mildly. I am so pumped because it’s exactly the type of book I would read if given the chance, and I hope those who enjoyed my first novel will enjoy this one too, even though they are drastically different. Welcome to my Cutting Room Floor.

THE STORY

It’s a mystery novel that tracks events leading up to and directly following a bank robbery, but it’s a lot more than just that. It’s also a study of contrasts between expectations and reality. What I love most about the story is that it is written in fragments and from different perspectives. Because it switches around so much it reveals in pieces the motivations and connections between the robbers, the ones who are seeking them, and other happenings in the city where the robbery takes place. The story delves into politics and crime, and shows how they’re not mutually exclusive. Continue reading “Cutting Room Floor: Part 2”