Thursday 22 September 2011

Make Decisions With Confidence!

When Kathy Teel, the head editor for the YA imprint Euterpe at Musa Publishing asked me if it were possible to rework my novel, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS AND THE ARCH OF ATLANTIS into a one character point of view instead of all five characters, I hesitated. Could I? It would take some creative wangling, scene cuts and looking at the book from an entirely different perspective, but as I thought about it, something inside me gave and I saw this endeavor with new eyes. Yes, I can, I know I can, I thought, mimicking the Little Engine that could.

Part of me did not want to pass up this long-awaited opportunity. Humans thrive on challenge. To me, reworking my Last Timekeepers series into stories with one point of view throughout the whole book would be worth the effort. Plus, there were incentives. First – I was offered five books right off the bat (with the possibility of ten). Second – it would make me a better writer by focusing on one character during each book throughout the series. The reader would receive more depth of character, a connection with that character, and most-likely a better story.

However, the other part of me was quaking in my boots at the cuts and scene juggling I would have to magically perform. I bit my bottom lip. Yes, I can, I know I can, echoed in my mind. Deciding, right there and then, to just do it, made me take a leap of faith in a newer, fresher direction. And like the Fool pictured in the tarot cards, I kept my head up, eyes forward and didn’t look down.

Remember: Your future is what you make it. Decide now what it shall be – Napoleon Hill.

1 comment:

  1. I have absolute confidence that you can, Sharon! I'm really looking forward to going deeper into all the characters.

    Kathy

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