I Saw the Angel

There's a great quote of Michelangelo's that I absolutely love - "I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free".

I've got that imprinted in my brain at the moment, as I'm struggling with the opening chapter of my current book. The book is written - but it needs major surgery to find the true story, aka the angel.

So far I'm on my third version of chapter one, and this is so unlike my normal writing process I feel like a hamster running in a wheel - expending a huge amount of energy and not getting anywhere!

Thankfully, every time I strip away a layer, the romance (which after all is the core of the book) becomes clearer so at least I'm on the right track, even if I feel I'm taking endless diversions. My amazing CPs (who are both on tight deadlines both professional and personal) have read every version so far (and not that I want to worry them or anything but I have a feeling I haven't finished with it yet!!) My agent is also amazing with her insights, and I'm determined to pull this off!

So that's why I've been mia since New Year. Today I also received my RWA Golden Heart entries (can't wait to read them, they look awesome!) but what I really need is a few more hours in each day!