Coffee With David

I have just completed phases 1 and 2 of editing the sci-fi (space western) novel, Herne's Law. As I begin the rewrite and look over all my notes and editing marks, I am reminded how much the devil, or should I say story, is in the details. You spend a lot of time researching details and building the details of the character and the world the stories and characters live in. The details of plot and character interaction make up the loom where the author weaves his story on. If you have read my earlier blog (http://davidalanlucas.com/blog5.php/2011/05/07/editing-a-novel-my-long-tedious-and-head), you know that my main focus is to dig through my story looking to see if I got all the details.
In my case, some of the details I miss are the details of the sense of smell and taste. If you don't engage all five senses--or all six senses, since I believe a character's intuition and what they do about it shows a lot about the character--the world, characters, and the story feels false. When it feels false, the reader breaks off and stops reading. No writer wants that to happen when the agent, the editor, or the paying reader to stop suspending disbelief, put the book down, and move on to something else.
Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for more details.