I read Missing Persons beginning to end on Saturday. It took me all day (330 pages), making notes and corrections. This may be the first time I’ve read the whole thing in such a short period of time—previously I think the “record” was two or three days. It was a valuable exercise, the only way, I think, to see the big picture, how things work, where they fit, how the transitions occur, where details get mixed up or repetitions of detail. I also had in mind three items my agent wanted me to look at, and I was able to implement these suggested changes as I went along, too, scattering them into the story (or changing the existing text), planting them like seeds.
Yesterday I keyed the changes into the document, tidied the whole thing up and got it ready to send to my agent, which I did a little while ago. That gets it off my desk for a while and onto his, which means that maybe I can concentrate on the new book for the next few weeks. I started up a new document this morning, gave it a working title (West of the Pecos, which almost certainly will not be the final title). Metaphorically sharpened my pencils and got everything laid out to start tomorrow, November 1.
There’s a chance of rain today, which isn’t the best weather for trick-or-treating, but we can certainly use the rain, so I guess I won’t complain. Here’s a little Hallowe’en tale for you if you’re looking for some mood-setting fiction: Harming Obsession, my first published story. Check out the cool artwork by GAK, too. Though I’d probably change several things with the story if I were to edit it again, it’s a tale that has generated quite a bit of favorable response over the years. Enjoy!
