The Indoctrination Process

Having somebody to read and comment on your writing always comes in handy. You can always get so worked up in what you're doing and find that actually, a fresh pair of eyes can do a world of good to improve what you're writing. You can be reading what you've written with a very clear vision of what you've got and it may even flow well for you, but then you're the one who has written it, your pacing can be way off, there can be very little description and you can be doing too much in only a few words. A friend who's going to be straight and honest about your writing is a good friend to have, as much as it is an ego booster to have somebody turn around and say, "hey this is great!" but it bears little use when it comes to improving what you've got, though it's somewhat useful being told what you're doing right (so you don't idiotically change it).

 The important piece of feedback I've received is that, my ideas are too big for a book and as a result, with my focus on keeping it as a single novel, it paces itself too quickly, it has too many characters to deal with and as a result, it becomes difficult to follow. What does this mean? It means I agree wholeheartedly, it means The Delusion Wing will not be able to resolve itself in a single novel, this means I've decided that what is currently chapter 10, which was originally the end of 'part 1' will be the end of the novel, calling itself, "The Indoctrination Process" for the time being. Chapter 10 is an important chapter and it would be suitable to end the novel there and if done right, it'll mean the reader will want more and hold out for the sequel. Now that means I can expand on what I've already got drafted, develop the characters more, offer the much needed description and fix the pacing and work to improve further.

So, an honest friend is a good friend for a writer indeed, after all, it can lead you to be a lot more sure on your writing, even if it means there's a lot more work for you to do. But hey, redrafting is a learning process, you learn what works and what doesn't until it stands at a position where you're almost happy with the results(internal editors are like disappointed mothers, no matter how hard you try, there's no pleasing them).