T. K. Arispe

Today's writing notes:

Working on: Revising "Worth Searching For"

I'm coming up on the first climax! So excited. I still feel like everything surrounding the Well of Souls is appropriately creepy and intense. I still think I did a great job with that. By this point the reader should be mentally shouting "PHARAZON NO". Or shouting it out loud. That's okay too.

Another major edit to this story is that, during the pizza party, Terra tells Isengrim that Pharazon is plotting to get rid of him. Isengrim believes her and sends the other Werelupes to apprehend Pharazon and Skoll, who escape and aren't heard of again until the next night, when Skoll activates the Well of Souls.

In the previous version, after learning of Pharazon's plans, Terra didn't tell Isengrim because she didn't think he would believe her, but that definitely doesn't fit with the dynamics of their revised relationship in this version, which has so much to do with Isengrim trusting Terra. Plus, now that I know how to write Terra better, I know there's no way Terra would sit back and let something like that happen. She would tell Isengrim regardless of whether or not he believed her, because it's the right thing to do, and she's all about doing the right thing.

This also allows the reader to see more of who Isengrim really is, as he tenderly comforts Suhel when Pharazon attacked her with magic, knowing how difficult it was for her emotionally, and reaffirms to Terra that he trusts her, even when faced with the betrayal of someone who he had trusted for years. It shows how far he's come just in the few days he's known Terra, and how much she's helped him. I'm really enjoying making him much nicer. I like this version of Isengrim way better, and I think readers will, too. :)

I also completely changed the scene where Terra and Isengrim start Isengrim's family portrait on the wall. It's much more upbeat now, and also ties in to the new idea of Skoll and Pharazon going on the lam. I wanted to give the sense that things might be totally okay between Terra and Isengrim now, but they've got other problems to deal with--but by working together and giving each other strength, they can conquer those problems.

All of these edits have brought the word count up to over 94,000 words. I'm not even mad.