peeking through my fingers

It’s the 1st of June. 3 months until the final deadline for my script. Thanks to the calendar function I’ve added to Thunderbird I can see that August is a disaster. I’ll have to reel in this fish by July, and hope I can squeeze in enough time to prep and cook it before September 1.

Today, for the first time in seven weeks, I re-read my first draft. It wasn’t as awful as I expected.

There are decent scenes, and a couple of characters that suggest depth. There’s a lot of work required, however. The pacing is jerky: it speeds up, and grinds to a halt. It’s like I’m learning to drive: hiccuping forward in jolts, because I’m crap at the clutch and nervous with the brakes.

I’m overwriting in places. I could strip down my descriptions a bit more, and add more punch to my visuals. I need to resequence a number of sections, and the ending needs work. There’s plenty to do.

Before I start I need to figure out what direction I want this to go. Preferably darker and scarier. There’s nothing in it yet that gives me the chills.

I need to raise the tension, and therefore, the potential for harm and loss. Some of these characters will have to suffer a lot more.

Soon I shall learn the skills of a torturer (for my characters, not my readers!).