I started work on the second draft of my book yesterday. I've pulled together all
my mentor's comments. Her global comments are in a 'to do' list, and I'm in the process of importing her detailed comments into my manuscript. Most of her suggestions for specific deletions or amendments go straight in, apart from the ones where I think I might know better - oh the hubris!! Then there are places where I write shouty little notes to myself in capitals, such as INTERNAL RESPONSE NEEDED HERE or TOO SUBTLE (thinks: blimey, that's a first!), NEEDS MORE TO HELP THE READER GET TO KNOW THIS CHARACTER.
I'm also going through an archive of my relevant writing, again on
my mentor's advice, to identify pieces that I might be able to adapt and include. Both of these tasks are laborious but not difficult. And it is
such a joy to have writing tasks that don't make me feel as if I'm fighting invincible monsters while wearing lead boots and a blindfold.
I know from experience, and can see from
my mentor's global comments, that there is more hard work ahead. As I've said before, I'm not afraid of hard work; often, I enjoy it. But the last month or two, I have found writing to be difficult in a new way. I wish I could work out why, because I have a theory that if I knew the reasons, I'd be able to overcome the difficulty. (Which may be a completely stupid theory.) But I don't mind not knowing why if I can overcome it anyway. I'm optimistic that this more enjoyable patch is a good omen for the future, and I'm hopeful that I can move forward to a place where writing is mostly fun again.
6 comments:
I don't know why it should suddenly feel hard, but I guess it's another thing to go in waves and phases.
Oh, I so wish it wasn't hard. But I so know that there are many times when it just has to be. Writing is a compulsion and that, by its very nature, has to have positive and negative aspects.
I wish I could come up with some magical solution that would make you feel as good as your writing deserves, but I'm afraid I think it's an intrinsic part of the process to have down times. Sorry!
We all seem to have the 'down' as well as the 'up' times and I think it's all part of being creative - or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm hating what I'm writing and wondering why I think I can do it at all.
Hopefully your 'up' time is on it's way.
It's getting harder because you're getting better at it x
JJ: I guess so too. Like most things really!
Debi: but your solutions ARE magical. Except that they make me work hard ;-)
Debs: I'm glad it's not just me!
Helen: I LOVE that theory and I really, really hope it's true.
How I envy you being in the position to polish your new cupboard. I've got to re-build the b----y thing:)
And if only I could find my third title.
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