Thaoryn page revised
29-3-2017 21:15
When you work on one story for a long time, it will inevitably change. In the case of Thaoryn, over the years I’ve gotten a much better idea of the characters, the world, and above all what the story is actually about. The old description on my website didn’t do the story justice anymore, so it was high time for a new one. The excerpt of the first chapter has also been updated, because I’ve lately been rewriting thoroughly. (It’s still only in Dutch, sorry for that.)
To paraphrase my favourite writing advice book, ‘Wired for Story’ by Lisa Cron: plot is what happens, but story is what that means to the protagonist. For me, Thaoryn’s inner conflicts and personal growth are what it all is about. The story couldn’t exist without the mystery, intrigue and action, but it’s the character development that brings it to life. So it isn’t strange that, as I got a better idea of what these events mean to Thaoryn—in other words, what the story really is about—I started getting more and more dissatisfied with the first chapters. It is sometimes said that you shouldn’t rewrite before finishing the first draft, but I’m happy with my decision to have a good look at the beginning after all. Because how can I write the ending if the beginning doesn’t fit it anymore?
A new beginning, then, and rather drastically so in the first pages, as those that have read the previous version of the excerpt can see. The rest of the chapter hasn’t changed that much, although I still painstakingly look at every sentence to see if it still says what I want to say. It’s a lot of work, but after a long winter break it’s an excellent way to get into the story again. I’m trying to build the habit of writing an hour every day, the very first moment I have the time and peace needed—whether that’s at eight in the morning, or halfway the afternoon when I return from some appointment—and so far it suits me very well.
And when I’m done with the first chapters? Maybe I’ll keep rewriting until I get to where I was, to then go straight on towards the end. There are more chapters that need a good overhaul, and I’d like to have a fresh look at the rest as well. But maybe I’ll decide earlier to move on to the last part of the story: it all depends on how it goes. At any rate I plan to post updates more frequently, maybe even with previews of the story!