Be Careful What You Ask For

​Several weeks ago I reached about the 75% complete mark with the first draft of my manuscript for the third book in the Ian Murphy.  My goal has been to finish the rough draft this year so being at this point in July was ahead of schedule.
Then it happened.  I ran into a stone wall.  I couldn’t figure out how to keep the story moving along in first person point of view.  I realized I needed help.  I submitted my manuscript to friend, author, publisher Christine Keleny and asked if she thought I should change the point of view from first person to third person objective;  just one question, one straightforward, simple question.
After about a week Christine sent me an e-mail asking if I had an outline for the book, the theme of the book and if I knew the ending.  I responded that I never outline, the theme was in the title – reckoning – from the nautical use to know where you are by knowing where you’ve been and I gave her a few lines explaining the ending.
A few days after that Christine sent me an e-mail suggesting we set up a time to talk on the phone.  Really?  I only asked one question.  I expected she would write maybe one page of comments, tips on craft, answer my point of view question.  No, she wanted to talk.  That was not good.  I was traumatized.  Family was visiting from Texas which gave me the perfect excuse to delay our discussion.
She thought the beginning of the book about the first ten chapters needed work.  I needed to explain why the events Ian experienced were important and what they meant to him.  She thought the point of view worked well.  On my problem with the stone wall she said to ignore it and concentrate on writing the conclusion.  So, there you have it.
When you ask for help you must be prepared to accept what you are offered in return.  I worked with Christine extensively on my second book, Out of Darkness, I trust her professional judgment.  When she comments she always says I can accept or reject them.  When I ask:  should I XYZ?  She responds with, that is your decision to make, she’s never directive.
I reflected on Christine’s comments and re-read my notes from our conversation for a day.  I’ve decided to re-write the first ten chapters.  Getting the start right will only help bust through that stone wall to write the conclusion of the story.  Of course, the moral of this experience is ‘to be careful what you ask for.’