Changing the Narrative

Recently I had my manuscript assessed. Fortunately, it was well received, and plenty of positive comments were made.  But as this is an assessment, suggestions made to improve the novel. To make it better.

It occurred to me that it’s not unlike real life. We all come to a stage where we wonder if this is it. Is this our life, our story? All that needs to be said and done has been said and done?  Or can we get an assessor to come in and suggest how it could be changed for the better.

We can make changes when we find ourselves in a narrative that is not working. We can push on with the same characters, the same setting. Or we take a good hard look and if we are honest with ourselves, we can make some cuts and pastes. And if that means removing a character then we should be open to the suggestion.

I’m loath to change my novel. It’s how it came out, from the inner recesses of my mind. The characters are real to me, and if I change any of them, all the others will be different for not having the meaning of that character. But if I don’t make the changes suggested, the richness of what the story could be will be lost.

I’ve made changes to my narrative over the years and my life is all the richer for it. So now I’m doing the same for my manuscript narrative. Watch this space.

By the way, the picture in the background of the photo accompanying this blog, is me, painted in 2008 by my granddaughter. I’ve changed since then!