SOME POST EASTER THOUGHTS...
In his book On Writing
Stephen King says that ‘once he starts a project, he doesn’t stop or slow
down unless he absolutely has to’. When I read that sentence it sparked something
and I knew this was how I would have to write if I wanted to finish my novel. Without
missing a beat, cogs silently shifted, I changed gears and I’ve managed to keep
my nose to the grindstone ever since.
I ended last week on a high after reading through the first
draft of my novel and gave myself Easter Sunday off. After all, a girl has to
get her priorities in the right order and chocolate is pretty high on the
pecking list at this time of year - I’m just not
sure if pecking is the right word as I don’t know
any chocoholic who pecks. Devour, demolish, consume, even inhale are
more apt words to describe what happens when the object of one’s desire presents
itself with such availability and the normal constraints are removed.
Despite the excesses of sense gratification on offer, by the
end of the day, I felt out of sorts, as if I’d overlooked something. And I had.
It was the writing. Since I became more serious
about making time for writing, I’ve found that if I don’t have my daily connection
with the creative process, something is noticeably missing.
Oh, I know life isn’t
that simple. Family, work, friends and many other elements make up the fabric
of our reality, but for me that one percent inspiration that started me on this
journey, and which I tap into when I’m writing, makes me feel very alive. It’s
that one percent which keeps me going.
Weirdly enough, straight after thinking all this, I was
overcome with lethargy at the thought of the amount of work ahead of me. Editing for me is like painting. I have the basic
composition on the canvas, then I add layers of colour, putting highlights and
shadows here and there and working to get the perspective right. And yes, I
know modern art isn’t everyone’s preferred beverage but like every genre, it has its aficionados.
One technique I learnt when revising for exams, is to focus
on the goal – you imagine what it feels like to hold that certificate in your
hand. It’s a way of tricking your mind and overcoming the obstacle of what you
perceive to be the endless task of revision. In my case, I’m
focussing on a finished second draft. I have a rough schedule in mind – I’d
like to achieve a chapter a day but will be satisfied with four, or if possible
five, chapters a week. And I won’t beat
myself up if I don’t achieve it. I’ll just keep going until I’m holding that
Holy Grail of a finished novel in my hand, or if no publisher is interested, I
shall be proud to see it on the screen as an ebook.
Today’s Haiku
CHOCOLATE THOUGHTS
Coin of the Aztecs;
Mississippi mud delights
my pleasure centres.
My time management skills – the novel, the blog and life - mean that things don’t always
happen as soon as I’d like but I had some good feedback recently on the haikus
for Haikus
Galore , so there is progress.
A really great read is Roads
Taken by M. Joaquim at the Kindle Store. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/ Check it out!
I'm
going to rotate the links to other writers I find helpful. One newsletter I subscribe to, where there are plenty of
good tips and information, is:
http://www.urbanwritersretreat.co.uk/
For all book
lovers out there, I wish you good reading and for those of you who write, good
writing.
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