AMACHI: Editing Chapter One

This week I’ve been editing Chapter One of Amachi, and given how I feel about editing, it’s been a surprisingly good experience so far. Editing is the phase where you find out that certain things you’ve planed don’t really flow together as well as you thought or you realize that things don’t work at all and you have to cut or replace. Regardless of all that, I haven’t been over obsessed with the chapter or felt the need to have everything perfect just yet.

It’s been funny though, to look back on my work as a whole and see the changes in my writing flow and the obvious differences between the individual sessions it took to write the chapter. I could easily see the ebb and flow of my creative juices. I could tell when I was in a rush to get things done and when i had ample time to spare because some areas were very detailed while others were quick and somewhat glossed over, relaying only the basics of what I wanted to get down during that particular session.

I’m pleased with how things are piecing together so far, I haven’t had to rearrange the placement of any scenes or cut anything out. Most of the necessary changes, if any, were made while I was actually writing the chapter and those alterations, although major to the section, were minor to the overall story. Most of them dealt with small changes in details like someone being shackled in chains instead of bound by ropes. Instead of there being a confrontation with one large animal, it’s played out against a group of smaller ones. Basically, the end result of the scene is the same but the elements in it’s execution were changed.

What I found myself focusing on the most was consistency. Making sure that the events of one scene persisted through all of the later scenes as needed. For instance, there is an action sequence in the being of the chapter where Amachi is attacked and wounded by a pack of wolves. While editing, I had to make sure that her wounds were present throughout later scenes and that they hindered her actions accordingly. You’ve seen it in movies, where someone is shot in the leg or arm but somehow still manage to use that appendage unhindered through the rest of the movie. Well, that’s what I’m trying to avoid. Surprisingly though, it can be easy to forget or miss these details when you’re writing in sessions.

At any rate, I have about 10 or 13 pages left to go, which I should be able to knock out over the weekend.