Addition and Subtraction

I've added a few things to my blog page, like photos and comments about my published books. Several of my writer friends have photos of their book covers on their blogs, and I thought it was time I got with the program. I haven't figured out how to make the cover photos clickable links yet, so to order my books (you will order them if you haven't read them yet, won't you?), visit my website at MarshaWard.com.

I'm working on the second draft of my next novel, Trail of Storms, piling up the word count quite satisfactorily. However, now I've hit a spot where I have to incorporate the new plot lines and characters into the first draft work. I've shifted two scenes to different places and re-written them to fit. One of them is a cute little scene dealing with Heppie's fears that I was going to have to put in my cut file. However, I found the perfect spot for it, and since I re-wrote it, now it's a prelude to Heppie and George's honeymoon. The other scene is a recollection of Jessie's past romantic interest that fits nicely where she has to ride the wagon because her shoulder has been injured. I'm pleased that the scenes are working out well in their new locations.

Hmmm, was there a common theme in those rescued scenes? I love adding just a little spark of romance to my novels set in the Old West.

However, re-writing and deleting scenes doesn't pile up words! And when you delete the standard scene divider, three asterisks, there go THREE WORDS into the garbage!

sniff sniff

I love writing down my word count each day. There's something viscerally satisfying about watching the total climb. I am at nearly 78,000 words, and my goal for the finished product is more in the area of 75,000 words, so I do have words to spare to cut, and mangle, and smash-- Oh, my darling words! They have to be replaced with other words that shoehorn our new character Ned into the plot. Some of them will . . . have . . . to . . . go!!!

I never did like subtraction.