I'm up to chapter five on my rewrites. Need to write three more chaps before I can get on with finishing the book. And it's gut-wrenchingly, heart-breaking. Must of what I've written must go to fit with the new direction of the book as requested by the editor.
Phrases I've slashed today, which caused me great pain to do so include:
*What did she expect? She'd walk into his office and he'd immediately start unbuckling his belt?
*His gaze trailed down to an illegally short skirt and indecently high, indecently sexy black f-me boots. He almost swallowed his tongue.
*Perhaps he'd like to push a few of her buttons and see just how many sparks they could make fly if he made her lose her cool, calm and collected persona once again.
*She bit down on the grin that threatened, daring to hope his intentions weren't entirely honourable.
*P's mind ran feral with thoughts of what the night could entail if she played the next thirty minutes right.
What about you? Have you cut any smashing lines lately? How do you ease the pain?
20 comments:
LOL Rach - I know what you mean. I think I need to slash my line where the hero bluntly tells the heroine he doesn't want to sleep with a woman who 'gets passed around like currency.' I was rather fond of that line...
Oh, Rach - I can understand your pain. The things we have to do in our quest for getting published. You've got some cracker lines there, no wonder you're hurting. I'm sure you'll just come up with equally fantastic lines and passages to replace them (though this probably doesn't help ease the pain much at the moment).
Janette - NO I love that line!!! Don't do it!!!! Unless of course you have to :)
Angie - thanks for that lovely compliment. I sure hope you're right :)
They're all so good. I love Janette's too :). But you'll replace them with something even better!
I know what you mean! I hate losing *anything* I write! But don't despair - why not create a "dump" folder as I do and chuck them in there - they may appear another day in another book. Caroline x
Can sympathise - it's agony. Who was it who said that thing about killing your darlings?
Yep, cutting is horrible. But sadly necessary. I would save those lines for another scene or another book - nothing is wasted!
Love the lines Rach :)
As the others have already suggested,why don't you keep your favs in a separate deleted folder - you never know when you can use them again ;)
I detest cutting anything I've written, why would you want to kill something you've created?
My own personal fave from my current ms is "Marrying Javier had been like stepping out of the lion’s den into the grip of a cobra—silent, stealthy and you never knew when the attack was going to come."
I hope I don't have to cut that! But as the others said, you'll come up with lines just as good if not better :-)
Argh! I haven't *yet* had to cut out parts of my story I loved but I imagine it would be brutal!!!
Can you incorporate these lines into other parts of your story?
Oh Rach... smashing lines - but I am sure the new version will be racier, sexier and better than ever!
Amanda
LOL - I love that line where the hero almost swallows his tongue!
I feel your pain. I had to cut 4.5k from my ms before we submitted to editors last year. I went into shock!!!
What terrific lines - you have to work them into a new story.
Bugger. They were great lines. not to worry. You'll probably be able to recycle them elsewhere.
Good luck with the rewrite, Rach!
They all sound so fun and flirty, no wonder you don't want to lose them. Sometimes I have to delete things in stages. Maybe highlight it the first time. Then cross it out. Then finally remove it.
F-me would have had to go anyway. :-) For MH at least! :-D
Well, I've cut...whole manuscripts. I have lost a lot of great banter. :-(
I lost this, but I did retain a variation of it in my second book (A Mistake, A Prince And A Pregnancy)
“All this talk of dungeons.” He paused and gave her a hot look that tingled down to her toes. “You don't have some sort of fetish do you?”
She nearly choked on her ire. “You're disgusting!”
He looked thoughtful. “Arrogant and disgusting. You assessment leaves me feeling flattered.”
She pinched her lips together. “Does it? Odd, normally I do a much better job of communicating.”
Man so many of you lovely people have commented on my woe - thanks :)
Anne - I like the idea of highlighting, slashing and then finally deleting. I've adopted it - lol.
Joanne Coles - absolutely love your line. Am sure you won't need to cut it :)
Maisey - absolutely LOVED the lines you cut, so glad you got to keep it in some sort of way. Can't wait to read that book!!
Thanks, Rach! I liked yours too. It's hard to cut stuff like that! But hey, even though that scene didn't make it in verbatim, the spirit remains!
Hang in there Rachael. I totally feel your pain--you wouldn't believe the cuts and rewrites I had to make for my first sale! But it's worth it. And totally keep the cuts file! Waste not, want not, lol.
Crossing fingers for you!!
:-) Mira
Thanks Mira - great to know that you've been through this and come out the other side :)
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