I completed the second extensive edit of Worlds Apart at the beginning of April. It’s now off with some beta readers and I’m looking forward to hearing what they think.
I have a really bad habit of writing all the cool things I can think of without any regard for brevity or purpose (pantser all the way!). In my last edit, I chopped out a whopping 23,984 words, including one of my favourite scenes. Honestly though, it served no real narrative purpose other than for me to show off how much I enjoyed visiting the Te Papa museum in Wellington – more specifically, the Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War exhibit.
There’s also another scene that I think I might have to cut if it doesn’t play well with betas. The editor in me knows the whole scene isn’t necessary, but the writer in me who experienced the same magical event while traveling through the Rivendell set in Wellington really wants to keep it in. My logical and creative sides are fighting me on this one.
Since I had to cut out the scene at Te Papa, here are some photos from when I was there:
Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War is a collaboration between Te Papa and WETA (most famous for Lord of the Rings). I don’t know how big these statues are, but I would say they are probably 20ft or so? They are MASSIVE, and incredibly realistic. I took these pictures on my potato phone so the quality isn’t fantastic, but trust me, they were the most incredible work of art I have ever seen, even to this day. Coming around a corner into a dark room with one of this statues in it was really confronting – you can really feel and see the emotions they were trying to convey.
I’m Australian, so I’m well aware of the casualties the ANZAC forces suffered in WWI (it was almost 65%!), but this exhibit focused on the humanity behind the war, not the actions of the war, if that makes sense? It was really personal, and because it was so personal, it felt really visceral.
I had most of a chapter dedicated to the museum. I just loved it so much I felt like I needed to write about it. Unfortunately, it really didn’t advance the story at all, so I gave it the old chop. But if you ever find yourself in Wellington – please visit (it’s free!). Even if you aren’t a military history buff, I promise the art and curation will blow your socks off.
Jade Elmstone 