Work in Progress: “The Dancing Teacher”

Progress report:

Last time looked at: 4/1/17

Last actual wordage added: 4/1/17

Pages added, 4/1/17: 2

Current page count: 17

Current word count: 4,506

Estimated final page count: 20-30?

Deadline: June 1, 2017 (anthology)

Comments: Hmm… I haven’t always posted about this one.

I’m writing this for a specific anthology I got invited to, so it needs to fit a particular set of parameters. As originally planned, I’m not sure it did, but then I didn’t have all of it planned out. I had the set-up, and I knew how I wanted it to end, but the stuff in between was very vague.

As a result, I’ve backtracked a couple of times. The most recent one was tonight — sort of. I decided I needed to do a drastic rewrite, so I saved what I had in a separate file and looked at what to cut, and wound up not cutting anything. I just picked up where I’d left off and added a couple of pages. I may yet wind up reworking it, but I think I want to finish this version first, just to see whether I can get to my planned ending from where I was.

I did make a few changes; originally the viewpoint character didn’t have a name, and then on page 11 he absolutely needed to have a name because he’s being formally announced, so he acquired one. Tonight one of things I did was go back and insert his name right in the first paragraph.

Also, which of the Cousins serves as the setting has changed. Originally it was set in Skarl, which I realize means nothing to most of you, but Skarl has been mentioned in previous stories both published and un-, and the place I’m describing in this story is clearly smaller, poorer, and more backward than the Skarl described elsewhere. I could have moved it backward in time a couple of centuries, but it was just as easy to change the kingdom’s name to Korza and leave Skarl out of it entirely.

Anyway, it’s coming along; I’ve set everything in place and the climactic fight should start in a couple of paragraphs.

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