Christy English

Diving Back In: Re-Writing To Be Queen

Friday, February 19th, 2010 | Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Writing Life, To Be Queen

There is such a delicious pleasure in getting my editor’s notes, reading them, and then beginning once more to submerge myself in Eleanor’s medieval world. I love this character’s point of view, her quirks and her vision, the amazing courage she shows at every moment of her life, at every turn in her road. Eleanor of Aquitaine was a woman who relied almost solely on herself and her own mind. To watch such a woman of strength move across the pages of my novel, I find myself truly awed. I am one of Eleanor’s biggest fans, and I find that I always will be.

So, I dive into the creamy white pages of my latest novel, dotted now with the many comments and questions from my editor, all in glaring red. The red casts a light of its own on the pages, showing me where I need to smooth things, where I need to make descriptions clear and prose clean. As I begin my time with Eleanor once more, I savor it. Every draft is an adventure. Every moment with Eleanor is a gift.

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