My editor, bless her nitpicky soul, has asked for 100 new pages on my new novel, in 30 days. "I love what's on the page," she said, "I just want more, more, more." We talked, for 73 minutes, about what "more" means. It means not rushing at a breakneck pace to the end of each chapter. It means not ending a scene with a coy little bit of dialogue when I could put the whole, big messy conversation on the page. It means following the threads of even minor characters all the way to the bitter end. It means...resting. That's what we finally decided. Resting in the rhythm of the words, and resting in the story.
I could be frustrated. I could be angry. I could be panicked that it's August and my kids are out of school and the days are warm and lazy and perfect for doing sprawling art projects just for heck of it. But the thing is that my editor is right. I know she's right. I can feel it in my bones. And I want to write the best book I can write.
I don't need inspiration, right now. I'm not looking to meet my muse, or anyone else's. All I need to do is just sit down, shut up, and write....
3 comments:
Evidently you're at the point where writing has really become a job--the kind where you're chained to your desk and missing your kids lives. I hate those kinds of jobs but I'm guessing getting to write a novel is the best way to have one of those jobs!
I tend to be a "rusher" too, and I'm trying to break the habit. When I write something and let the story evolve slowly it is WAY easier than trying to go back and fluff up a rushed story, even if it is killing me to slow down at the time. Good advice from your editor :)
You'll get this right, I can tell. Attitude is everything.
Windy Lynn
Thanks for sharing your writing experiences with us. I bet you figure it out just fine. :)
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