Hitting
delete is a painful process for a writer. Erasing the words we worked so hard
to craft can be agonizing. It can be especially difficult when the words are
GREAT on the surface. The prose is beautiful, the dialogue is sparkling, and the
emotion is riveting. Then the author comes the realization that a character, a
scene, a subplot, or even a big chunk of the book has to go for the overall
story to work.
Or
does it really have to go?
 |
| Book 1 |
Sometimes
simply deleting is the wrong answer. The new book I have coming out in a few
weeks is the perfect example. LEFT TURN AT PARADISE released in June, and it
was a book that had a few different lives. The story centers on Layla McCarthy, who was abandoned as a baby and raised by her grandmother. Layla’s mother comes
back, seeking to make amends. The original version had three points-of-view
(POV)…Layla, her grandmother (Barbara McCarthy), and her mother (Elizabeth
“Beth” McCarthy). Writing Beth’s story was a challenge. I had to come up with strong
reasons why a mother would give up her baby. Those reasons led to a character that
was compelling, complex, and deeply moving. I sent the finished draft to
someone for editing and she pointed out that, although the mother’s POV was
wonderful, it almost overshadowed Layla’s POV. So, I made the painful decision
to take out Beth’s scenes.
 |
| Book 1.5 |
Only,
I didn’t delete them. I decided that Beth should get her own book. I took the
scenes I’d already written and added several more to flesh out the story. Some
scenes are mirrors of those that were in Left Turn At Paradise…others show
things that happened “off screen”. Letting Beth “speak” revealed a very
powerful story of a woman who never felt like she was enough, despite being
physically beautiful. It’s the story of a woman who has been broken by life,
and by illness, and who now only wants to make things right. She even has a
chance to discover that it’s never too late to find true love…or more
accurately…find the true love that slipped away.
I’m
so glad I had the foresight to hold on the Beth’s story, and I’m glad readers
will get to fall in love with her like I did.
COMING
HOME TO PARADISE is a prime example of not hitting “delete”, but making great
writing work some other way.
I always save deleted scenes in a separate file. Most I've never used again, but sometimes they come in handy later even in the same book.
ReplyDeleteI do that a lot too, and often do end up using it in some way later.
DeleteWhat a great solution, Kristin! And how fun for readers that you were able to create two books from the original one. :)
ReplyDeleteI have separate files for all my books and they are labeled as "Graveyards." :)
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ReplyDelete