The call of new writing is irresistible. Wrote 2,500 words on Illuminators last night rather than editing Sand Sifters. Can't help it, it was more fun than trying to figure out how to bring Farrah and Kadar together in a smoother way. Though it was a scene later in the book than I am currently at. I usually don't let myself do that - I find I get less discouraged and have a smoother story if I go from beginning, through the dreaded and impossible middle, to the end without jumping around and writing scenes then piecing them together.
It amazes me how many people have tried writing novels. For that matter, the slush pile on publisher's desks is 9-12 months long of books that have been completed. It is very usual for someone to have a beginning and end, but not a middle - and those people are the ones that always want me to read their stuff. What is the point? Talk to me when you've finished the thing - most people never finish their first novel. Heck, one lady told me she wanted me to read her unfinished novel but would wait until I was done editing mine because "she didn't want to influence me." Kindness personified.
There is a difference in myself, and my writing since I've finished two novels. The first one was through Nanowrimo, so it was done at a hectic pace, and may be pulled apart someday and used as the basis for a longer (and better novel). The second was done more professionally, over 8 months. I can tell now, what ideas will make the cut, what ideas will only last a couple of chapters. I know how to get through middles by creating overarching plots. And I have the confidence to finish what I start without too much fuss or angst. A professional writer once told me "talk to me when you've written a novel from start to finish" and I understand now what she meant. The next step is "talk to me when you've edited and submitted your first novel." But that gives me confidence as well that once I've learned the process it will no longer feel like I'm climbing Everest without an oxygen bottle.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
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