You know what I just realized?

I’m totally “pulling a Hojo,” as my brothers are I are fond of saying. It’s a reference to Final Fantasy VII – you fight Hojo in 4 different forms before he finally croaks. I don’t remember when we started referring to bosses with more than 3 forms as “pulling a Hojo,” but there it is. My book is in its 4th and final draft. I’ve created a monster. Metaphorically. At least it’s a boss monster.

Edits. Tough decisions ahead.

Got to the two chapters last night that my gamma readers have had the most issues with, and went through them with a virtual red pen. [Click, highlight, text color=maraschino] One is way, WAY too full of information and is going to get cut down drastically. [Copy, paste, save for later] The other involves a plot twist that is too confusing the way it’s written, and so needs more careful wording. [Scratch brain] Meh.

I’ve got a couple of scenes earmarked in earlier chapters that are going to be expanded slightly to accommodate more character development, that I’m really looking forward to digging into this weekend. I still feel like the prologue is kind of off, but so far I haven’t thought of a) how to twist it into shape or b) what I’d replace it with if I were to scrap it. It’s passable as-is, but since it’s the very first thing you read, I very much want it to jump out and grab people, and I just don’t think it DOES that right now. Maybe something will come to me before the end of the month. If not…well, I’ve heard Neil Gaiman say that books are never finished, only abandoned and published. I’m really starting to understand that now!

Ganbatte, writer-san.

/cast iPod [Florence + The Machine – Bedroom Hymns]