Turning Point

I edited my manuscript nearly all day Sunday. It was the perfect day to write. Pretty much all afternoon, the skies were dark with thunderclouds and it rained off and on. A few times, the thunder rumbled so loud, it made my cat and I jump. I took a few breaks to watch an episode of Band of Brothers and also to read a bit of my James Bond novel. Other than that, I tapped away. And finally, I reached the turning point.

The middle of the novel is always the hardest for me. The character development, plot points, and conflict have to be fine-tuned in this area, otherwise, the reader (and even the writer!) will lose interest and toss the book aside. I knew I needed to really concentrate on the middle in the editing process and let me tell you, it was a rather painful journey.

But yesterday, I consciously felt a shift in my mind after I finished a particular chapter. At that point, I realized the hardest part was done. My mood suddenly lifted and the excitement I felt over the novel reemerged. The last part of the novel is fairly strong and won't require as much editing. But I think I can say the same for the middle now. And that is a wondrous thing!