stevenpiziks | Writing with Kittens

Writing Iron Axe is like carrying an armful of kittens. They climb all over me, run in half a dozen directions, fight, play, and grow in unexpected ways. Danr's motivations keep changing. Aisa wants something different now than she did back when I started writing the book, and her personality has evolved. Talfi, thank heavens, has remained a good boy and done as he's told. I abruptly realized that two characters would work out much better if merged into one. My antagonist changed. All of these things require me to go back and REWRITE. Danr's motivations change, and I have to go and set that up. Aisa's personality evolves, and I have to back and rewrite her earlier scenes so they match the new her.

I clonk my head against my desk many times in a book, but this one has given me more forehead bruises than usual.