I’ve been trying to get an agent for my novel for over a year now, off and on. Along the way, there has been some awesome agent feedback, for which I’m grateful. That means I’ve made changes to the novel along the way. The suggestions for changes don’t just come from agents, though. Far too often, something in my mind tells me I need to adjust just one more little thing.
Honestly, I think most of the ideas shouldn’t be done. I’ll make note of them and sometimes I’ll write them out in a separate file. That’s when the analysis has to start. I have to ask the (sometimes) hard questions:
- Does this help the main plot?
- Does this help a subplot?
- Does this provide insight into character development?
- Would a reader really appreciate this extra bit or consider it an unnecessary detour?
In almost all cases, the answers tell me not to add the change to the novel as it is. In fact, there have been very few cases where I did make the change. It was still necessary to get the new story out of my head, mostly so it would let me sleep. The new part usually does help me understand more about the characters and the actions, just in way more detail than needed for this story. One or two may be the seed for another story later.
Currently, I’m developing on of the ones that may actually make it into the final novel. My brain first pointed out that one secondary character’s motivation is a bit vague. Looking back, I can see where that could be an issue. The solution is to add one or two small scenes, and change a minor detail about another. If I do it correctly, it should be good.
These new suggestions have gone through the questions listed above. It helps the main plot. It helps a subplot. It helps with two characters, and I think the readers will really like the new version better than the original.
The thing I must avoid though is the never completed novel. It is well established that no work of art is complete until the artist is dead. Our target then is “complete enough”. In general, I think that the novel is done, but I really could keep working on it the rest of my days and still be polishing little pieces. I can’t let that happen, or I will never accomplish anything.
So, I’ll make the few changes, make sure I didn’t screw anything up, and then go back to getting it sold. I think it is pretty solid at this point, so I should focus on other stories. Anything that I add after this can be notes that others can profit from after I’m dead.