So, as many people will know (because I don't shut up about it), I'm writing a book. It is a fantasy novel that takes place in the same world as the short stories I've been posting on this blog. It has been fairly slow going since I spent a lot of time working on the world, plotting, and figuring out the voice of the characters.
Today I decided to scrap my opening. I did this for a number of reasons, most of which spoil plot points. The biggest reason though was that I found myself realizing that the tone I wanted to set for the story did not properly mesh with the beginning I had written. All the events that happen in that beginning 10,000 words are still canon to the story but will just be vaguely referenced as bits and pieces.
Originally, I was a little upset to have to scrap so much, especially since I was so fond of what I had written. But then, I realized that getting rid of this part of the story will make everything else stronger.
I also realized that some of the issues I'd been having with writing certain character interactions stemmed from this problem of tone. The character relationships that need to exist for the plot to move forward require a lot of mundane, everyday dialogue. This turned the first part of a sword and sorcery fantasy adventure into a slice-of-life for about 1/5 of the book and that's no good.
So I scrapped it and and started on the new part that will start the story. I'm feeling very positive about this and have already re-plotted the parts that required it. I'm excited and feel like there is now a clear path forward for me to tell the story I want to tell.
Short update but I felt it was significant.