GET ME REWRITE!
I was an editor for 20 years or so. That means I am addicted to rewriting. I've already changed the first sentence of this paragraph. I flagged myself for violating Rule 13 of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style: Omit needless words.
In addition to rewriting, I had to check the internal consistency of the writing and verify facts. This was all done before the internet, when everything was printed. You had to go over to a shelf and pull down a big book and thumb through it until you found the passage you thought you remembered.
Now, of course, I have a world of facts and figures at my fingertips thanks to the internet. For example, the main character in my book had a daughter who disappeared several years ago. That's not much of a tell since she is not central to this story, although it is the heart of the sequel.
Her disappearance does open and close the book, so it is important in that sense. That date also serves as an anchor point for the rest of the chronology of the book. I have the disappearance happening over Easter break while she is driving back to college in a snow storm.
First, I nailed down the dates of Easter for the last 20 years. Then I looked for years when Easter was early. Then I Googled severe weather events in Pennsylvania for those years. Luckily, I got a match in 2002. About the time the daughter would have been driving back, there was a late snow storm in south central Pennsylvania.
With that date set, I was able to work backwards and forwards and establish certain key dates in my characters' lives. A lot of checking, but worth the effort. Next, I need to build detailed descriptions of where people live. At this rate, I should finish the book some time in the 2020's.
October 28, 2009
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