I last wrote about the WIP on the 8^th of August. How is it possible I’ve allowed all those days to pass without a single catch-up piece?

At that time, the MS stood at 122,237 words over 282 pages. As I write this, it stands at 120,705 words over 280 pages, having been through a number of edits. But, and it’s a BIG but, I’ve begun to restructure the whole novel.

Why?

I have two narrators and began the novel with both twins, the main protagonists, providing chapters in turn to tell the story. However, I began to feel this approach was not working well, was actually forming a barrier. I believed the problem lay in the fact the story was being relayed only from a male point of view. So, I changed one of the narrators to a woman who also plays a pivotal role throughout the story. It seemed to be working well.

But it gradually dawned that the nature of the narrative had altered so much that the story was missing one of the major points I’m trying to convey.
What to do?

Well, I’ve reverted to the original form, using both brothers to tell their own tale as they experienced it. However, I originally followed a strict diary-style time-line for both. Having discovered it was this element that was really causing the creative block, I’m now about to start with one of the boys/men sticking to the original proposed timeline, while the other, in keeping with his creative nature, will tell the story more from a point of view that allows immediacy to be supplemented by occasional flashbacks, generally driven by contemporaneous events in that character’s lifeline. The female point of view will be more readily expressed by using more conversation in the tale.

It means, of course, a fundamental re-write of one half of the book. A lot of work. But I want to get this right, it matters that the story conveys the basic truths I wish to present to readers.
So, that’s where I am right now. I finally feel I’ve found the right path for this particular book and I’ll try to remember to keep you informed of progress in future.

For readers hoping to read this new work, my apologies for the delays. I hope to reward your patience with a work worthy of your tolerance.