Meredith Mansfield, Author

I started the revisions on BEYOND THE PROPHECY just about a week ago.

I’ve made really good progress up ‘til now. I’m on Chapter 25 of (currently) 51.

Honestly, the most major change I’ve had to make so far—other than adding some details and punching up the emotions in a couple of places—was to delete part of a few scenes since I’d decided that a couple of characters weren’t there after all. Not too big a deal.

Not that I’ve addressed everything in those first 24 chapters. There are things I left for a later pass because I hadn’t decided quite what to do with them yet. And there will still be the need to edit for more setting details in some areas. (Always something I tend to gloss over in a first draft.)

But I’ve just arrived at the part of the story that’s going to need more work. The part I wasn’t happy with in the first draft anyway. It’s always the middle, isn’t it? I know what needs to be done—generally. But now I have to do it. New scenes. At least one new chapter. New emotional conflict—can always use more of that in the middle. This part will be almost like going back to the first draft.

But the story will be so much better for it.

Once I get through this, hopefully the rest will be more of a downhill slide. Then at least two more revision passes until I’ll be glad to close it up while my trusted beta readers have it. Then I’ll know how well I did.