Trezka: First Impressions from the Second Draft

Before I get started, I’d like to note that both of my previous publications (Sanity’s Flaw and The Nobodies) went through several different drafts before I considered them final. That said, it really should come as no surprise that the same will likely be the case with Trezka.

Not that this second draft isn’t good. It is, in fact, quite fun to read. I’m simply blown away by the wealth of ideas, fantastic characterization and surplus of surprises.

However, work needs to be done.

For instance, while the opening chapters are strong, they’re incredibly lacking in fine detail. The chapters afterward, on the contrary, offer plenty of detail but the plot moves far too quickly to be considered realistic. And, about halfway through the current narrative, one of the main characters seemingly falls off the face of the earth, becoming little more than a plot point to be occasionally referenced (the character returns later, but the absence in this section is particularly odd).

I’ve made plenty of scribbled notes on the draft itself (in blue pen just as I noted a few weeks back). Here are a few of my favorite examples to date:

  • Ha!
  • Awesome
  • Don’t like this page
  • WHY is he CRYING?
  • Well, this is a bit sudden
  • Presumptuous!
  • Was it the vodka?
  • Too much TELLING
  • Unbelievable
  • Comes off as preachy
  • Comes off as RAPEY

Yeah. Rapey. That’s not an actual word, apparently—at least not one Word recognizes—but it’s accurate. I’m only a little over halfway through the narrative now, so I’m sure there will be even more that I need to adjust. But, thankfully, I find this all sorts of fun.

I love being an editor.

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