As I gear up to start sending out queries to potential agents, I’m reflecting on the past five months or so I spent editing the manuscript for Echoes. My first draft clocked in at around 186,000 words, which is far too much for modern publishing standards. So, I whined and gnashed my teeth at the unfairness of it all, then got out the chainsaw. All in all, 84k words went into the bin, and lo and behold, the real story emerged.

It ceased to be a story about a guy and a girl fighting some ancient Biblical demon with the help of a lovesick ghost, and instead, became a story about two families trapped by fate, where the current representatives must balance the burden of four generations of failed expectations with their own hopes and dreams. Better, right? (She said, hopefully)

So, if anyone out in cyberspace stumbles upon this post whilst amidst their own word count related teeth gnashing, the best advice I can offer is look deep into your work for the real story. Find the part to which you feel the strongest connection, make it shine, and let go of the rest. Until your next book, at least