I Almost Forgot How Much I Love It

Yesterday was the best day I've had in a long, long time.

I've been working on my manuscript -- the one that's going back out agent-fishing at the end of the month -- and yesterday I had a breakthrough. I have always had these two scenes that didn't quite work. They imparted necessary information but didn't really seem to move the plot forward. They slowed the pacing, and you know that's really a deal-breaker.

So while I was trying to figure out if I could cut them entirely, maybe make up a whole new section to get that same information across to the reader, the idea occurred to me to combine the scenes. As soon as I thought it, I knew it would work. I put both scenes side-by-side, chopped out one location, lost one of the characters entirely (he was dull, no one will miss him) and from seventeen dragging pages of necessary information formed nine pages of good characterization, great pacing, and I think it might have even tightened the plot.

That's what I call a good day of work. I'd almost forgotten how fun it is to work at something you love to do.