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Spring training
Jun. 12th, 2005 05:28 pmToday is final cut down day for the novel, which I have decided is a lot like building a baseball team. Just as in baseball, a lot of players (scenes) tried out. Some were invited for spring training, some even played in the exhibition games but when it came time to make the final cut, these guys aren't on the 25 man roster. It's not that they are bad per se, but they just don't mesh with the rest of the team and so they have to go.
Some scenes, on the other hand, just cried out to be cut. The litmus test for each scene is: Does this scene advance the plot? Does it convey vital information that the reader needs to understand the story?
One scene conveyed that the author was way too in love with her research on ancient lighthouses snip, snip. Another fairly pointless scene was replaced by a four sentence recap. And in this process one new scene was added, in one of those instances where adding a scene actually speeds up the action.
Now it's time to take a look at what I've wrought, to see if this is my final answer.
Some scenes, on the other hand, just cried out to be cut. The litmus test for each scene is: Does this scene advance the plot? Does it convey vital information that the reader needs to understand the story?
One scene conveyed that the author was way too in love with her research on ancient lighthouses snip, snip. Another fairly pointless scene was replaced by a four sentence recap. And in this process one new scene was added, in one of those instances where adding a scene actually speeds up the action.
Now it's time to take a look at what I've wrought, to see if this is my final answer.
