Gina Denny said something in the TikTok below that got me thinking.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that — even though I will not be querying this piece — I needed to throw out the first chapter and start over.
There was just too much wrong with it.
My focus was wrong. My tone was wrong. My pacing was wrong.
Most importantly, my narrative voice was wrong. I am not Edgar Rice Burroughs.
I was starting the story in the right place, but that was the only good thing about Chapter One.
And in denying that, I was just being stubborn.
Once I looked at it with fresh eyes, I saw it for the trash it was.
So, this morning I rewrote it and then published it.
I’m confident that it’s better now. I’ll look at it again in a week and know for sure.