The contract was signed and now we
had to complete the final draft. Lion Fiction had kindly provided me with an
experienced editor to work with to tighten the manuscript. In addition, I had
to lose an additional 20% of it, that being 30,000 words or 60 pages.
It was now 8 years since the first
700-page draft. It’s incredible how many scenes and characters I’ve deleted
including entire sub-plots. I hope one day some of those characters may make a
re-appearance. In particular, there were a number of angels and demons that I
let go. I think of this culling process like the casting call for a movie or TV
show. Some actors get the nod, many don’t. Those that missed out were just not
right for this publication but may well be in a future one.
My experience of working with
editors has been exceptionally rewarding. Both Claire, who worked on the
original draft, and Jan, on the latest one, took the opportunity to teach me
how to write. They re-wrote a small sample of the manuscript, say a few pages,
explaining why they made each change. I was then able to incorporate those
methods in the rest of the manuscript.
Significant Re-work
Over the years the manuscript had
passed through many “readers” of the various publishing houses who reviewed it,
rarely was any comment made about needing to change plot or story elements.
Typically all the queries related to the language and writing style.
Accordingly, it came as somewhat of a surprise when I received Jan’s first five
pages of review notes as they addressed the story, and the story alone.
Some very key elements of the story
weren’t good enough.
Gulp.
I must have re-read those five
pages and, the key scenes Jan was referencing, a hundred times that day. After
swallowing my pride it soon dawned on me I had a lot of work to do. This wasn’t
an edit. This was a re-write.
I was back at the beginning having
to re-create scenes from scratch. So besides losing 20% of the manuscript I
estimated I had to significantly amend 50% of the rest.
The final manuscript was due in
Oxford by New Year’s Eve. Three months and counting.
I seriously questioned whether I
could do it.
Let go of your story
One morning as I prayed prior to
starting work on a particularly challenging scene that required major
modification, I sensed this quiet nudge from the Lord: “Angelguard isn’t yours,
Ian, it’s mine. I’ve invited you to write it. Do you think I’d abandon you now,
this close to publication?”
Peace settled in my heart.
I can do this. Or more to the point
He can do it. My executive editor is the Creator of the universe.
Hallelujah!
As the day passed and the new scene
came together, I was able to reflect on the following:
“Our
stories are His and He invites us to write them.”
This was incredible encouragement
for me as I motored along each day. I was amazed how I was able to rapidly
engineer new scenes, perform major surgeries on others plus modify characters
with this fresh perspective.
I had set myself a target of mid-December
so I could put the novel down for a few days before Christmas. Then give it a
final read after Boxing Day before sending it off on 31 December.
It was a great feeling to reach
that target.
If you’re struggling with your
story may I encourage you to let it go. Thank God for the story by handing it
back to Him. He might give it back. Maybe He won’t, because He has other
stories in mind. As challenging as that may be, press into Him and
believe He will guide you.
Dora here. What about you?
Have you been forced to cut several thousand words from your manuscript? How did you accomplish that?
Do you treat your story as a gift? Or a job?
A Peek Into Angelguard…
Within a period of weeks, three horrific bomb blasts devastate areas of London, Los Angeles and Sydney. No explanation is offered, no victory claimed for these acts of terror. Yet behind the scenes a Machiavellian European businessman is planning to bring the G8 nations to their knees for his own larcenous purposes, aided by the dark forces to whom he has sold his soul. Jack Haines, an Australian academic, is grieving the loss of wife and children in the Sydney blast. Against his will he finds himself thrown into a war that transcends the physical world, a conflict in which angelic guards have a special mission for him. This is a gripping novel of the unseen forces that throng our world.
You can watch the trailer here.
About Ian Acheson
Ian’s debut novel, Angelguard, was
released last month in the US and Canada. The UK follows in March and Australia
in May. It’s been 10 years in the making and he’s very pleased it’s made the
light of day.
Ian reads a lot, and a lot, and a lot more.
He’s been telling and writing stories for most of his life since early
childhood.
When Ian’s not writing he’s a professional strategy consultant
having been in the Corporate world for the past 25 years. He brings some of
this experience into his stories. He’s lived in Sydney, Australia, all of his
life. Ian shares life with his wife, Fiona and they try to keep up with two
almost-twenty something young men who give them much joy and you know what else
if you’re a parent.
You can keep in touch with Ian at:
Website: http://ianacheson.com/
Twitter:
@achesonian
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ianachesonauthor
