David D. LevineScience Fiction Author

Word count: 120476 | Since last entry: 523 | This month: 2226 It took me almost the entire afternoon today to write, rewrite, edit, trim, rearrange, polish, tweak, and finagle what turned out to be only about 500 net new words, but I think the new prologue is done. I think it’s good, too — I got that little twinge at the back of my throat that’s close to tears, and that means I hit something that really hurts. I think one reason it took so long is that I had to back up and take a running start at the Cedar Point disaster a couple of times before I could actually write the scene. But once I found the entry point… yow. It just came pouring out. Basically I just introduced a new character, built her up, and killed her off in a little over a thousand words. But she’s not just a throwaway — she links to Jason and makes him more sympathetic and his motivations clearer. The act of writing this prologue also helps me get a handle on Jason in a way I never quite managed before. So although it took a lot longer to write than 500 words normally would, I think it’s worthwhile. Especially because it’s the beginning of the novel and it has to hook the reader. Thanks, Dean!