So, it's been a while since I last posted...actually, it's been more than a while!
Just re-reading my last post I had an aim of upping my word count...well, I have increased it, but not by much...only a few thousands. What I've actually done since then is up my kill count...47,000 words have fallen on the cutting room floor. I've basically had an almost complete rewrite...TWICE!
I've read Stephen King's 'On Writing' - excellent book - and I think one of his habits, methods of working, whatever you want to call it, is to write the first draft with the door closed...only seeking readers and opinions after that. And since I STILL have 15-20,000 words left to write I think that that is the way I will have to work from this point forward.
It's not that I don't value the advice or encouragement I get from others, it's that I don't progress BECAUSE I value that advice and encouragement - to the point where I have, at times, spent more time rearranging, reworking, and rewriting based on that feedback, than I have getting the story written.
To be truthful, it has been a while since I've had any feedback...but I'm at one of those points again where I feel like the story is going nowhere, and is stuck in a kind of narrative limbo...and I'm feeling like I need some external validation, or just a sounding board. It feels like a bit of a slog when the storyline doesn't feel like it's progressing in a great direction, or even at the right pace...I can definitely see that I will be rewriting the current section.
One of the hardest things for me to do is leave a job half done...I like to get things spot on before moving on...and that's true in most areas of my life...maybe for now good enough will have to do for the time being. I'm going to try keeping tight on the direction I want to go in with the story and worry about the polishing later.
And just going back to the social media side of things...sometimes it's just too much - too much of a distraction and too easy to lose hours in it...it's great, but I think, sometimes, I just need to go offline.
I know this post seems a little bit 'woe is me'...sorry! Pink bubble gum and fairies and unicorns next time...I pwomise.
Sonja
