Tools: Written outline, printed draft, scissors, tape, post-its, blue pen, red pen, lots of floor space.

Where we left off yesterday in the checklist:

• Write a new beginning – done
• Do a basic rewrite of the existing story, smoothe out prose – done
• Fine-tune character motivations – done
• Print draft, get out the scissors and tape, evaluate structure, fix – in progress
• Improve beats, heighten tension
• Groom for economy: cut, cut, cut!
• Groom for voice. Find the section that reads exactly the way I want it to, get that voice in my head, and carry it through each paragraph.
• Read aloud/proofread, fix anything that I stumble over
• PROFIT. I mean…what? Submit, and cross tentacles.

I spent a little time just writing down the outline and identifying the acts and scenes. I feel pretty good about the general structure, but I’m definitely moving some things around.

I only got through half of the story tonight, but I have a narration that’s way overdue that I need to finish editing, so the second half will have to wait. That’s probably best anyway; I’d been focusing on it for two straight hours and was losing stream. Better to come back to the second half fresh tomorrow.