Cherryh originally provided the quote for LAW. I still remember Mme Editor phoning me to tell me, very happy. But, there was a "But...". Cherryh hated the first chapter--it almost made her put down the book. But she persevered and gave the next chapter a try, and said that the book took off from there.
So, in the time I was given to work on copyedits, I rewrote the first chapter. I may sound like an awful wimp when I admit this, but to be honest, I had reservations about the tone of that chapter when compared to the rest of the book. But I loved a few of the turns of phrase, a few of the moments, and I didn't want to lose them. First readers who had read the first two books weren't fazed, but Cherryh hadn't read the first two books, and that old first chapter turned her off both Jani and Lucien.
So I took the shotgun out from under the bed and slaughtered a few darlings. But it did make for a better opening.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 04:06 pm (UTC)So, in the time I was given to work on copyedits, I rewrote the first chapter. I may sound like an awful wimp when I admit this, but to be honest, I had reservations about the tone of that chapter when compared to the rest of the book. But I loved a few of the turns of phrase, a few of the moments, and I didn't want to lose them. First readers who had read the first two books weren't fazed, but Cherryh hadn't read the first two books, and that old first chapter turned her off both Jani and Lucien.
So I took the shotgun out from under the bed and slaughtered a few darlings. But it did make for a better opening.