To Edit

I completed my most recent pass through Assignment Day yesterday, and as I said previously, it’s going to take a lot more editing than I anticipated. I noted several nagging thoughts I had about the story and its progression, but also found several instances where I consider particular chapters as weak. What does “weak” mean in this sense? Among other things, it could be one or all of the following: a bland beginning, a scene that’s too long, it doesn’t drive the story forward in a meaningful way, or it has an ending that doesn’t compel you to immediately read the next chapter. How do I fix these problems? I’m going to first determine what story changes need to be made and then I’m going to go chapter-by-chapter, dissecting and making each one as tight as it can be. Wait, does this mean Assignment Day is a bad book? No, I actually like it and one of my sisters thought I should publish it before Next Time. I think it can be better, though. If I’m going to tell a story and let other people read it, then that story deserves my best effort. I didn’t slack off during the original writing and editing, but I’d say the perspective of viewing the book after not reading it for 20 months allows me to use the experience gained during that gap to make Assignment Day worthy.