A New Beginning that Feels Like Groundhog Day
A New Beginning that Feels Like Groundhog Day by Debra H. Goldstein
I’ve started a new work in progress. I’m only nineteen pages into it, but I’ve rewritten those same nineteen pages at least five times. My initial goal was to write 1000 words a day while I was at the beach. For the most part, I think I was close to making that goal. The only problem was that each day, I tended to delete six hundred to seven hundred when I revised what I had written.
A friend, another author, said “Stop it! Simply write the first draft and then go back and fix it.” That sounded like a great idea, but my brain doesn’t work that way. I’ve often said that I only write when the muse strikes me. That’s true for me staying stuck in the chair, but not for the way my mind works on what I’m trying to write. Quite a bit of my writing process is subliminal. The ideas work their way through me until they come to a point where they can’t be contained. That’s the moment of the muse taking control.
But then, I need to revise the paragraph, chapter, or complete manuscript that was created. I’m back to the bogged down aspect of my writing. In the end, what I produce, I hope, is the best work product that I can achieve. But, who knows?
What process do you use?
Ack! I feel your pain, Debra. I have to force myself not to stress over a first draft and move on with the story. Eventually, I move forward. But later, I tend to rewrite the opening ten, twenty times, moving sentences and paragraphs around, up, down, and back again. Hard to tell when enough is enough, but eventually, I manage to make it to The End. And I know a pro like you will, too.
Exactly – for both of us.
I also understand. I like to revise as I go along. That clarifies my thinking and helps me build cohesiveness with future chapters. Everybody has her own process, and, while I’ve tried doing what experts tell me to do, I find other authors’ advice frustrating and confining. Go with what your muse and your instincts tell you to do. You’ll end up with a story to be proud of.
Hope so. I know you always do.
Well said, Saralyn
I also revise as I go. There isn’t one right way to write. Whatever works for you is the right way for you.
Debra, you have a process. Here’s what’s happening. Your muse is telling you it’s not quite right. It’s also working in your subconscious to get it to the place you’re ready to move on.
If you forge ahead to work on future scenes or chapters, your process of getting it where you want it, may be delayed.
You have a process that has served you well. We always think there’s a better way. Do what works for you.
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