The book is up to 31k words. Phew. Last week was rough so this week I focused on cutting a scene I knew wasn’t working and starting over with a new point of view. Sometimes a scene is a mess because I’m writing from the wrong person’s head. Switching POV changes the voice and can change what happens as well. It’s especially true for scenes between two characters in conflict. I threw out a whole page of dialogue and started from a different spot. Then the words started flowing.

It also helped me see I probably need to cut one of the subplots I had seeded in. It’s too distracting. I’m going to leave the seeds where they are since the second book in the series might be able to use them. I’m focusing on the main conflict to get it to page-turning clarity. I want to write something that the reader doesn’t want to put down. My favorite books are ones that make you want to keep reading long after you should be in bed, but also have you keeping an eye on how many pages left, like you want to pace yourself because you’re not ready for it to end.

I want these characters to be ones the reader wants to spend time with. I like to skirt the line between creating believable characters who are three-dimensional and therefore flawed and likeable enough that the reader isn’t chucking the book across the room. I hope I’ve found that in Charlotte and Ryan. So far, they’ve been fun to write. Usually that translates into enjoyable to read. I’m almost to the point I’m ready to share a scene or two. Keep watch here for updates.