Cut that out

[pjthompson]

I'm at that part of the rewrite (midpoint) where I wonder why I ever fooled myself into thinking I had even an inkling of talent, wherein everything I reread seems like the grossest dross, and every character a cardboard mockup of a human being. I'll get over myself. Middles are supposed to make you despair, I think, both in the writing and the rewriting. It's a Universal Rule.

I'm also experiencing that wiggily sensation of realizing I have to cut some more characters. It always feels like a betrayal when I deny one of them their time in the sun. I become far too attached, frankly.

I'll be reluctantly cutting back the role of Tansy, the tough chick warrior, although she's enormous fun to write. I've come to accept that her tough chick action is seriously interfering with the tough chick action of my main character, Carsten.

In the world there's room for plenty of tough chicks. But fiction is not the world. Unless it's polemical fiction, and I don’t wish to go there. (And, really, that's not the world, either, just some somebody's idea of How Things Should Be or their simplistic notions of How Things Are.)

So Tansy won't be disappearing entirely (and may have a greater role in one of the other books in this series), but I'm not going to be using her as tough chick window dressing in this book. That's a disservice to the story, as well as to Tansy herself.

What a not-world, what a not-world. All my lovely tough chickness!

Comments

[makoiyi.livejournal.com]

I've come to the conclusion that it's that time of year. No joke - I was feeling depressed as hell first thing, thinking - can't write a novel, can't write my way out of a shoebox - can't even write a darned letter. Then I went to work and B said, I just hit my darned head, the cat tripped me up and now my eye is playing up, and I'm standing there nodding my head thinking - yeah, it's Spring.

Years ago I remember seeing the corpse of a stag. It was a brilliant Spring day. The lady I was with was a true hunter and she just said, "Yep, happens all the time. They use all their energy surviving the winter and then just give up come the Spring."

And although that has absolutely nothing to do with writing, it does feel like there's a change in the air. Maybe we should all hibernate - i think some animals have it right.

[pjthompson]

It could be, but I get this every time I do a rewrite--no matter what time of year. :-)

[pjthompson]

P.S. That's weird about the bucks, though.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Are you leaving in the reference to pinkness?

[(Anonymous)]

rofl--I hadn't decided. Obviously, the guys can't do the inspection. I'm probably going to leave refs to Tansy being Loreo's second in command, just leave her off the mission chasing after Evia. So it's possible the pinkness will survive. I'll let you know when I get there.

[pjthompson]

What Anonymous said.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Sounds reasonable. :-)

[merebrillante.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, having Carsten and Tansy in the same room really pushed my opinion of C towards the negative. Tansy is just so Zoe.

You see, if you get too many tough chicks in one room, someone's gonna come out with a black eye.

[pjthompson]

And considering Tansy was modeled after Brock Samson from the Venture Brothers she was always going to be tougher. :-)