Scalpel time

February.

I'm cutting and shredding, mangling and saving. I am, in short, editing.

Chunks of text ripped out and discarded, other chunks ripped out and reused and some simply left where they are as I deem them good enough.

Editing.

The beginning of the book, or rather the beginning of chapter one had to go. I'll reuse most of it, but not as a beginning. In fact chapters 1, 3 and 4 need rewriting. A lot I can salvage, but even the parts I reuse need polishing.

Editing.

Changing the words, throwing some out and inserting new ones create changes to the entire story. I can see repercussions rippling ahead of me, and I'm not entirely certain I like it, but it has to be done.

Editing.

What I had planned as a two and a half month's worth of work will more likely take four full months to complete. After that? Beta readers. After that? More editing.

At least I have started this part of the process. I'll feel more familiar with it as the days pass by. Ripping and shredding will take a routine of its own. I know that, but I'm not there yet.