Editing a novel can be, pardon the language, a major bitch.
I think I could edit this book for a millennium and still never be happy with it. It’s like a plague–you start, you edit a few things, and then you realize: “Oh crap! I should go back and fix that, too!”
It’s cyclical. The more I edit and rewrite, the more I change, the less I’m happy with my own work. The more I doubt myself. The more I question, the more depressed I feel about the whole process.
Two weeks ago, I visited family up North and I had a lot of time to contemplate writing. Most of this was done in bed since I had a terrible time falling asleep. The idea occurred to me that I should do some major restructuring. As it is, this multi-POV is kicking my ass. I thought about putting the first book into a Book I and Book II, sort of in the way Tolkien did to manage his characters as they flitted around Arda. The first half could deal with the story from the POV of the Territories characters (Brick, Emry, and Cora, respectively) and the second half would be the Queensland contingent (Kaythra, Denna, Sylvan, and Ellin).
The idea of restructuring this again makes me feel slightly faint. But I think it’s the only way to a) keep the reader’s attention and b) keep my brain from overloading going back and forth from chapter.
I’m also thinking that my editing method might do better if I abandoned the way I wrote the first draft. Instead of writing by POV, I wrote by chapter without regard. But in order to keep continuity smoother, it’s may work better if I edit by character instead, that way I can make sure the overall plot and arc of each character’s journey is at its best.
So, it’s going to be a hell of a lot of more work. And it doesn’t help that I’ve been thinking about another book I started writing about five years ago, to boot. And all these short story ideas.
Ah, for a modicum of focus!
Anyway, it’s high time for a new podcast. I seem to focus better after podcasting… go figure!
The Aldersgate Cycle 
July 26, 2008 at 2:10 am
really?…my advice might be to rethink your characters. Too many “Main” characters can get really confusing, and to put a point of view on them all is just stressful for you and the reader. I remember reading a novel once that had two main characters, a brother and a sister, and they narrated every other chapter. I got seriously lost.
If any of your characters are, say, antagonist, it might be a good idea to keep much of what they are doing a secret until a time when it would be surprising to the reader what they are up to. It’s the kinda thing that keeps ’em reading.
July 27, 2008 at 8:59 am
@julia Well, I can understand that a multi-POV might not be for everyone. Personally, it’s a style I really enjoy reading because, in many ways, it feels like a window into a variety of people minds, rather than just the view of one. I’ve pared down some of my points-of-view, and streamlined things, but unfortunately paring down to one or two isn’t really feasible. There is no definitive “main” character as the story is told because there can’t be. I often think of it like an ensemble cast. If you ever read George R.R. Martin, you’ll get a good idea of the way I’m telling this story.
Thank you for your suggestion, though; I appreciate it.