Dig UP, stupid!*

On a scale from dental pick to chainsaw, what I'm doing with Book IV now rates somewhere around a hatchet. A lot of cuts, and the occasional 'beat on it until it works.' A draft 1.5 if you will. Kill your darlings, all the cliches (which are cliches for a reason) about writing and editing are happening at the moment, and it's slow going. Slower than I wanted, but the story is much better already. One character in particular, her arc is 1000% stronger than it was earlier, and it's nice to be able to feel that progression. You don't always get that with novels. I feel like I lose the forest for the trees every time I sit down at my computer, and only notice the next day, or later. Digging down and down into a scene, only to come up and notice that it's too long, or a repeat of something I already did. Or, realizing that that thing I repeated works better here. Or that the story isn't about what I thought it was about. From finding small flaws to big ones, that's why you have to be willing to tear apart your own work. Look at all the pieces and ask if they actually fit anymore, and be willing to get rid of them. Sometimes though, those bits have armor, or they're buried really deep, so you gotta dig for them.

*This is a Simpsons reference, not an imperative; unless you're trying to find a shortcut from Australia to Canada, then it's just good advice.