An Odd Place
I’m at that odd place of having completed a story, at least in its general form; I’ve edited it as far as I can; and I’m not sure where I’m at. Is it any good? Does it hold together? What do I still need to work on?
So it’s time to share it, to have a few trusted readers give me their feedback. And to set it aside for a little while, so that I can come back to it with fresh eyes, and, I hope, a clear perspective.
That means, unfortunately, that it’s also time for admin work and taxes. Oh, woe. I’d rather be writing…
Maureen
A Fat Manuscript
I am finally; officially, on the second draft of my story. It’s a great joy to have a finished manuscript that I can read from beginning to end, but, inevitably, I’m focusing on the next stage.
It’s time to settle in to work on the second draft. I need to identify every thread, every theme, and make sure I’ve developed them fully right through the story. It’s methodical work, but I need inspiration, too, and care not to delete anything that’s particularly good.
So, to work.
Maureen
It’s Not Writers Block
I’m settling back into a regular writing routine, still working on those last three chapters. They’re going to be the longest-to-write chapters I’ve ever written. Or not written. It’s not that they’re that difficult, or that I don’t know what I want. It’s more about needing to pull in all the elements of the story, and not having the brain to hold them all together at the same time.
Sometimes writing goes beautifully for me, fast and easy, and sometimes it’s as painful as pulling teeth. It isn’t writer’s block; it’s brain block, from allergies and asthma and colds. Christmas is always a little difficult, as I eat things I shouldn’t be eating and enjoy a live tree I’m probably allergic to. Add to this the interruptions of the season and the inevitable colds of winter, and I have spells of brain-deadness that are immensely irritating.
I’ve learned to persist, to work every day anyway (unless it’s a totally hopeless day – I just let those go). I pick away, in hopes that eventually that sparkle-in-the-brain will return and I’ll be able to fly through everything I’ve prepared in painful bits.
In the meantime, I have to believe they will return, those magical days when the words just flow.
Maureen
New Years Resolutions
New Years Resolutions always seem to be about doing more, going faster, being better.
I think for me they need to be about going slower and deeper – to settle more deeply into myself, and into my stories. There’s something that happens there… and I want to know more about it.
I think that means more meditating and walking and yoga, reading the books that pull me deep, and listening to the right music. But none of these belong on my resolution list, because then it’s suddenly about doing more again. I need to let it be about going deeper, and simply remember that these things help me get there.
Maureen
The Last Three Chapters
I had hoped to finish the first draft of my current story by Christmas. I’m within spitting distance – three chapters to go – but I’m not going to make it. I’d intended to finish the draft, and then dig into a second round of deepening and pulling threads through the story (the emotional layer, themes). But I got hung up on needing to bring all those elements together in the final chapters, and so couldn’t write the chapters until I figure out all the threads. I’m getting there – at least, almost enough to write the last three chapters – but it’s not going to happen before Christmas. This week has been in interrupt mode, with final exams, flights, baking, wrapping and shipping, with writing tucked in whenever I can, in between everything else.
When writing becomes the ‘tucked in-between’ activity, it’s time to let go of the big goals. But I will sneak off periodically, just to get a regular dose.
Maureen