Okay, I have a confession to make. About a week or so ago, I was tired. Not body tired. Brain tired. Heart tired. All the spark had gone out of the writing for me, and I didn't know if I wanted to keep doing it anymore. I felt like the rewriting process was sapping my will to write. (Forgive the emo-sounding-ness there. I'm sleepy as I type this. That makes me sound emo sometimes.)
But, on Friday, I decided to shove all the other stuff that had been on the front burner onto a back burner. It could wait. I was going to bend to temptation and start writing something new. And I feel better. I feel great.
The creative juices are flowing again. I'm thinking again, feeling again, discovering new characters again, finding a new world again. It feels good to sit down with a story-problem again and figure it out instead of rooting through my notes to remember what the official answer is in accordance with the rest of the plot.
Yesterday, I sat down and sketched a rough family tree for four characters. Yesterday, I figured out that my MC didn't look anything like I'd originally thought she did. Yesterday, I got to call my villain a "total pretender to the throne" and know why that was an accurate description of him. I'm learning about my story again. I'm having fun with my story again.
To blatantly steal a line from Jack in the Shutterbox, something is right with my world and I'm loving it.
In the comments of my previous post, D.L. Hammons referred to my rough drafting right now as my happy place. I think that's the accurate. Because first drafts, I've found, always make me really happy.
Now, to blatantly steal a line from a Disney World ride that scared the living daylights out of me when the talking vulture automaton said it: Everyone has a happy place. Maybe this is yours.
Yep, this might be mine. What's yours?
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Congratulations! That is such an awesome feeling when you get to find your happy place. I'm delighted for you!
ReplyDeleteI've started working on my first (second first) novel again. I need to cut some scenes but I think it's all going to come together nicely. Especially the ending.
Now the question becomes...how long can you stay in your 'Happy Place'...or...how can we make the entire process happy?
ReplyDeletePiedmont -- I'm glad the reworking is going well for you. I'm sure it will come out most excellently.
ReplyDeleteDL -- Well, I'd like to stay in my happy place for a good long time. I think you're right, we just need to find out how to make the whole process the happy place.
I hope you stay in that Happy Place for a long time! I come and go out of mine. :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle -- Thanks. I hope you find your way back to yours soon and are there for a good long time. :)
ReplyDelete