I hate tennis.
Well, I don't hate it, but I'm starting to really not like it very much with my writing. I'm going through this rewrite, and I'm starting to feel like I'm smackdab in the middle of a tennis match.
I make progress going forward with some changes, then I find myself going back to a previous chapter for more tweaks, then back forward again. I'm making changes, and I feel like they're improving the thing, but it doesn't feel like I'm getting anywhere.
It's not going around in circles. It's going back and forth. The thing about tennis, is that the ball doesn't go anywhere. It's stuck in that one rectangle the whole time. The only time people cheer, is when that ball finally gets past one of the guys hellbent on keeping it in that rectangle. Right now, that's how I feel. I want to bust out of that rectangle.
There are frustrating things in all phases of a work in progress. But I just wish this WIP was heavier on the progress and a little less on the work.
But I'm almost done with the rewrite. That will most definitely be progress. I'll keep plowing forward, and the key is to not lose focus on the big pictures. Sooner or later, I'll be off of this damn tennis court.
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frustration. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Rewrite takes its toll
It's been 10 days since my last post. It seems like 10 years.
Well, maybe that's just how much I've aged in that time. In the past 10 days, I have been enlightened, distracted, overjoyed, embittered, intoxicated, and even bit by a spider. And all of that came about either during or as a result of my current rewriting process.
It's getting to be a bit of a wear on the constitution, to be sure. The problem is that I don't really like second-guessing myself, but it's imperative that I do so. As a newspaper reporter, I hack things out, give it one tidy run through and POOF it's out of my hands. Then I'm on to the next story.
This is much bigger, much more involved, and much more important to me than some story about a hockey coach I crank out in 30 minutes. My writing is me, and I don't want to screw it up. I don't know if my story is better or worse. Obviously, I think it's better - now anyway. Back to the newspaper stuff, I'm used to getting done and it's right the first time and that's good enough. Now, that's not good enough, and it's a little of an adjustment for me.
I've made great headway, and I should be closing in at wrapping up this draft some time in the near future. And then I'll give it to some buddies to read and rip to shreds. But for now, I'm still plowing through.
I've heard time and time again that writing is the easy part, but the rewriting and editing are the parts where the novel really gets done. Sure, it's true. But it's still annoying sometimes.
Whenever I used to see one of those quotes about editing or rewriting, I used to think 'Wow, tha'ts pretty cool.' Now all I think is 'Oh, shut up, Faulkner. Like you had it rough.'
Well, maybe that's just how much I've aged in that time. In the past 10 days, I have been enlightened, distracted, overjoyed, embittered, intoxicated, and even bit by a spider. And all of that came about either during or as a result of my current rewriting process.
It's getting to be a bit of a wear on the constitution, to be sure. The problem is that I don't really like second-guessing myself, but it's imperative that I do so. As a newspaper reporter, I hack things out, give it one tidy run through and POOF it's out of my hands. Then I'm on to the next story.
This is much bigger, much more involved, and much more important to me than some story about a hockey coach I crank out in 30 minutes. My writing is me, and I don't want to screw it up. I don't know if my story is better or worse. Obviously, I think it's better - now anyway. Back to the newspaper stuff, I'm used to getting done and it's right the first time and that's good enough. Now, that's not good enough, and it's a little of an adjustment for me.
I've made great headway, and I should be closing in at wrapping up this draft some time in the near future. And then I'll give it to some buddies to read and rip to shreds. But for now, I'm still plowing through.
I've heard time and time again that writing is the easy part, but the rewriting and editing are the parts where the novel really gets done. Sure, it's true. But it's still annoying sometimes.
Whenever I used to see one of those quotes about editing or rewriting, I used to think 'Wow, tha'ts pretty cool.' Now all I think is 'Oh, shut up, Faulkner. Like you had it rough.'
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Still finding the right road
I am no expert, and I have never been published. To be honest, I don't know what advice I can possibly give you about writing (unless it's newspaper writing, and you want to know how to irk your boss). I just know what I'm going through at any given time a new blog post is published.
I'm flailing my way through this process, too, and this blog is here to hopefully show people that they aren't the only ones pulling their hair out and getting frustrated at that damn blinking cursor in their Microsoft Word document.
I ran into one of those roadblocks last night. Sure, I'm still well on pace to hit my 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month, but that's no big deal. I knew I was going to hit it, anyway.
There are notes and a rough outline for me to follow, but even still, I hit a snag where I had no idea which direction to go to get from Point A to Point B. I know, I know, a straight line. I got it. But the straight line sucked, and so did subsequent curvy lines.
I'm not going to chalk this up to writer's block just yet, more that I haven't found the right path to take yet. (Wait. What's the difference?) In any event, I think this was good for me because it made me type a bunch of stuff I didn't like.
Last night's lesson was this: Just like you have to be able to hack your story to bits when the unncessary words are there, you have to be able to hammer out a bunch of words when the necessary words aren't there.
I'm flailing my way through this process, too, and this blog is here to hopefully show people that they aren't the only ones pulling their hair out and getting frustrated at that damn blinking cursor in their Microsoft Word document.
I ran into one of those roadblocks last night. Sure, I'm still well on pace to hit my 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month, but that's no big deal. I knew I was going to hit it, anyway.
There are notes and a rough outline for me to follow, but even still, I hit a snag where I had no idea which direction to go to get from Point A to Point B. I know, I know, a straight line. I got it. But the straight line sucked, and so did subsequent curvy lines.
I'm not going to chalk this up to writer's block just yet, more that I haven't found the right path to take yet. (Wait. What's the difference?) In any event, I think this was good for me because it made me type a bunch of stuff I didn't like.
Last night's lesson was this: Just like you have to be able to hack your story to bits when the unncessary words are there, you have to be able to hammer out a bunch of words when the necessary words aren't there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)