When I first started putting together stories for IF YOU AIN'T A PILOT..., I wanted to include everybody and everything I could remember about my year as a student pilot at Columbus Air Force Base. But it was too much. Way too much.
My first draft had too many pages and too many characters. Unless you were one of my classmates, a couple of whom actually wanted more, it was hard to keep up with all the moving parts. At the suggestion of my editor, Catherine Adams, of Inkslinger Editing, I combined people into individual characters, condensed events, and cut.
After several revisions, I'd cut one-third of my original manuscript. For me, some cuts were harder than others, especially if the scene represented a favorite memory, person, or joke. I am happy to be able to share some of my favorite deleted scenes by way of this website.