Revising Sand, and Early Beta Call

I finished Chapter 1 last night, read through it for a quick proof, and deemed it Good Enough For This Pass.

Writing it was a bit of a disturbing process, actually.  The antagonist has a touch of Caligula in him.  These revisions are steering his kinks away from the sexual and into the more violent.  Finding his new boundaries while writing the scene was decidedly uncomfortable.

But now tis done, and I am starting on Chapter 2.  If I can get to Chapter 5 without serious stumbling, the remaining revisions will be easier.  It's these opening chapters--with a ton of little and large decisions to reshape the story--that are a pain.

I dreamed about some of the characters last night--an odd thing.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've dreamt of my stories, and it's always the same couple of characters.  Those folks must be my personal archetypes.

Hmm.  Now THAT might be interesting post.

Because I intend to move through Sand rather swiftly, and because it's a pretty long book, AND because we're heading into the holidays, I'm putting out a beta request now.

Sand is the first installment of a much longer story--gritty fantasy, much fighting and manipulation, large cast of characters.  I'm scheduled to finish revisions by the first full week of November, and will be looking mostly for global feedback (rather than line-by-line) to come back to me by the end of the month, if possible.  As always, I will happily reciprocate.

If you're interested, drop me a message or respond here!