Editing updates

 As part of this editing process, I opened a spreadsheet and designed it to keep track of the chapters, the length, and the characters who are in that chapter.

I discovered some very long chapters, so I broke them down, recalling an agent had once commented that short chapters were more reader friendly than long ones.

I also discovered that by listing the characters as active, small active, passive [there but not speaking], I can see if one of them needs a bigger role, a smaller role, or was not necessary at all in that chapter.

More discoveries to come, I'm sure.

– Cat

 

 Progress –

Today I reduced my word count by 125 words.

I came across an unnecessary word. I then decided the sentence that contained it was unnecessary. As I read further, I asked myself if the paragraph that contained the unnecessary sentence that contained the unnecessary word, was necessary. [Oof – sounds like a song!]

And I laughed. Of course the paragraph, and the two that came after it were not necessary to the story. They may have added a bit of fluffy background for a character who isn't the main one, but their presence or lack thereof made no difference to the plot.

I'll have another update in a few days.

– Cat    first posted in 2015    

Spiders in Love?

 

 

I read that a university is seeking female spiders for some type of study. I must emphasize that I did not read the article so have no idea what, where, or why.

But on such slight information the wheels of whimsy begin to spin.

Thought I, shouldn't the shortage be of male spiders? Don't female arachnids kill, then like cannibals eat their mates after the ultimate rapture?

Do the males know this is going to happen? Who survives to tell them? The females wouldn't let them know ahead of time--or do they, and thus allow them to nobly sacrifice their lives for the continuance of the species?

Do the males perhaps observe this ritual, then knowing what's in store for them, run for their lives? Is there a band of brothers--a resistance movement--somewhere living deep underground determined to survive, at least until the cruel chill of winter brings their life spans to a melancholy, but natural end?

Were I a writer of fantasy, I could go places with such a premise.

But no. I write romance, and at the moment there's not much romance in a female killing and eating her mate.

Not yet, anyway.


Cat