They Really Should Call It Rewriting

The rewrite's going well. I'm a little over halfway through my first pass and I'm surprised I'm not wincing as much as I thought I would be. Made several story and continuity repairs along the way that included small trims and the cutting of the entire first chapter. In looking at it I saw that it was largely exposition, too self-aware, and not very interesting. Gee, wouldn't that be a great way to start a book?! The tiny bits of necessary info that were in it were easily slipped into later chapters. The thing I'm happiest about is that I was able to figure that out myself and not have to be told by an editor or agent that it was crap.

Hoping to get the manuscript to my beta reader by the end of next week. That's when I'll get the first hint of whether it's half way decent or I'm delusional. I've read that one of the pitfalls of aspiring novelists is that they can fall in love with their words and not see that they're serving up a great big steaming cow pie. I like what I'm reading so far but I'm not kidding myself. Reliable notes are priceless if you have the good sense to take them.

Met with a book agent last week who's interested in repping a picture book manuscript of mine. She really seems on the ball and is passionate about good books. I like her and I'm excited to see what she can do with it.

Second draft word count a/o today: 79229