The bits that got away!

[Paradox 99]

Hi Mark,

I was thinking about the whole process of editing a novel ready for publication, and I've seen a number of writers talk about the agony of having to chop certain parts out of their work that they really would have like to have kept.

How often has that happened to you?
I was wondering if you still fondly keep hold of any snippets that never made it into the novels. If so, would they be the sort of things you could post here? I'm sure there are a number of fans that might be interested - it could provide some interesting background or further insight into some of the characters or history.

Just a thought.

[Mark Robson]

An interesting thread, Paradox. My original 4 novels, being self published, included all the bits I wanted them to include, so there is little scope there. However, Imperial Spy was originally written to be a one off book with a totally different ending. I did keep the original manuscript, but I clearly couldn't post the entire book here, and as Reynik didn't really feature in original version as a growing character, the ending might not make a lot of sense. However, I'll give it some thought to see if there's anything I might be able to put here.

I'm currently re-writing bits of Imperial Assassin as well, but I'm not sure that I would want to keep the bits I'm chopping from this, as they are being chopped for a very good reason - I think they're weak. The editor has made a few comments, but generally seems to like the story and is happy with the length, so I doubt that I'll have to chop anything that I want to keep.