Ally Blake Romance Author - Blog

Latest news from Australian romance author Ally Blake, writer of fun, fresh flirty romance novels.

Tuesday 30 May 2006

pant pant pant

Okay, so my work in progress has now hit the 124% mark according to the little worm thingie on the side of my blog. Yes that's one hundred and twenty-four percent. A whole quarer of a book extra that I don't need.

How do I keep getting to this point? My last book, MEANT-TO-BE MOTHER a darling book which I adored writing, which had so many scenes and emotions and wonderful bits crammed in there only edned up at aroudn 48000 words. So how come the book before that one, WANTED: OUTBACK WIFE, and this epic have both hit 64000 at the end of draft stage? That's over 300 pages! Am I crazy? Are my characters desperate to stay on the page? Am I repeating myself? Am I repeating myself?

All of the above I would think. But that's half the fun, seeing every book have a pattern and a pace and life of their own. Never the same experience start to finish.

And now the fun starts. Now I get to play boss with the red pen and the delete button. Now comes the slash and burn. Now to cut 12000 odd words from my story without losing the heart, the pace, the depth, the detail and the scenes I love.

Natasha? Trish? Nic? Ola? Those of you with similar deadlines? Are you chasing your tails or is it plain sailing? If it's the latter I don't want to know!