I'm busily going over the next Elspeth Barclay book, making sure it follows. Trying to rip out any errors/typos/mistakes--you know. I got through a pass of overused and filler words and started reading for continuity, making sure all the puzzle pieces fit together the way they were supposed to. Everything was going great. Until...
I wrote what, now?? (I wrote this:)
I laughed. “I never made that connection. Somehow, this is sticking out for me. He said he bought that player piano because it played Country Gardens, which was the tune her favorite music box used to play.”
“Why is that sticking out?”
I thought about it for a moment. Mr. Flanders said the antique music boxes on display were contributed by George’s children. In honor of their mother? I didn’t remember hearing any of the music boxes play, but if they were the children’s contributions to the Opera House, where was Sophia’s music box? “It’s probably no big deal. Her music box is probably in the family home, right? Or one of the kids has it. For some reason, it feels important to know.” I jotted it down as something to pursue.
Now, without reading the rest of the book, you're probably wondering why this is a problem. Let me help.
This is the only place in the book that talks about "Sophia's music box(es)." The old "I jotted it down as something to pursue?" Yeah. I never pursued that. Never explained it. It's a random reference to a random thing that never pops up again. More like the AUTHOR jotted it down as something to pursue and then completely forgot about it. A thread that never got pulled tight--frayed and ragged. So what do I do? Add in more music boxes? Show the one in question? It ties to the song, so how do I incorporate the relationship to the player piano? Do I cut it out altogether? I still have to account for the player piano, which was the tie-in to the missing music box. Oh, heavens. What was I thinking?
In the end, I rewrote that section without the music box. On the plus side, the rest of the book seems on track. I accounted for a couple other references I'd made a note to strengthen and am on to the proofreading stage.
Newsletter subscribers will get an exclusive cover reveal, going out tomorrow (if you aren't signed up, you can sign up now and get the sneak peek!). I will share it with the rest of the world next week.
Back to work! Can't wait to share the new book with you!
