Thank God Dave’s review of my opener blew it all to bits. Before the explosion there was plenty of witty dialog, irony, nostalgia—even a dash of sexual tease. So what’s not to like?
As written, there was nothing thrilling about my opener. I am rewriting the first hundred or so pages to a book that becomes a first rate thriller because the original story had a jagged fast-forward of seven years. Readers were just settling in when whoosh, here we go into the future.
The overall story didn’t need that disruption. But the new look version had to start off with the fuse lit. Mine wasn’t. It was like watching an hour-long cop show and the first fifteen minutes are spent on the golf course, or watching a Little League game. Not good.
So, one day into the redo and I feel much better. Now I’m not so concerned with witty repartee. I’m focused on lighting that fuse.