It’s spring break, so I’ve been in Florida visiting family. I’m supposed to be enjoying the break—and I am, to a degree. But what non-writers (everyone in my family except my daughters, who write fan fic) can’t understand is that what I’d really like best is quiet time to write. So I smile and go along with the planned activities, and I don’t tell them that there’s a part of me that’s eager to get back to cold and dreary upstate New York so I can write.
I’m finally getting close to the end of the balloonist story (current working title The Height of Desire). It’s not the best time to take a break, because this is a time when there’s a risk of something Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, calls creative U-turns, i.e. fear-induced backsliding just at the point of a creative breakthrough.
The good thing is that I’ve been writing long enough to recognize when I’m tempted to do a creative U-turn. The other thing I’ve found is that telling friends my plans can help me stay on track. So friends, this is my plan:
– I will finish this version of the story by the end of April.
– I will go on a writing retreat during the first weekend in May with my writer buddies at a house on Cayuga Lake. There I will do a deep, thoughtful review of the whole thing and very likely a lot of rewriting and polishing.
– Then it’s off to my critique partners, and probably another round of revision and polishing. Meanwhile I can start thinking about cover art. J
Wish me luck. What challenges are you facing? What helps to keep you from backsliding?
Elena
www.elenagreene.com
Great to hear the balloonist story is underway! I’m rooting for you, Elena!!
In May, it will be a year since I began my first novel. Back in December, I hit a wall – I thought my story had ended itself (my heroine went over a cliff! – miraculously, she survives!). I was about 50,000 words short of my goal, but since then, I’ve gradually gotten over the wall (climbing up the cliff) by doing more research into both writing technique/story-building and the history of the period. It also helps to read blogs like this which are distracting in a very good way. I got back into it by doing some line-editing and began to feel the characters again – (that was a tip from the Riskies).
Currently I have one really good friend doing some critiquing for me and my sister. It really helps to hash out the characters and their motivations with my girlfriend over lunch. We laugh at how silly it all is, but we both want the characters to be wonderful from as many angles as possible. I agree that telling people you’re writing helps to keep you honest and to stay on track.
My next challenge – other than finishing the manuscript is to find a writing group that will work with me as well as some critique partners who aren’t biased! But I’ll give myself time to figure that part out! One thing at a time. If I think too much on how big a task I’ve set for myself I’d just curl up and go to bed. Just one thing at a time….
Lesley, one thing at a time is a very good attitude. You’ve already achieved much more than a lot of aspiring authors. Even now after 5 full length books and 2 novellas, I still think it’s important to enjoy the process and keep learning.
I’m glad you have a supportive friend. As for telling people about your writing, my suggestion is to limit it to people who have some idea of the struggle involved, not people who will just keep asking if it’s done yet or if you’re going to make as much money as J.K. Rowling…
When you get to the point of looking for a writing group, be patient with that too. I started out with a critique group that had one member who was truly toxic. I used to tell myself she was just ultra-critical and that that would help my writing, but over time I realized she just liked to get everyone doubting their ideas. She would tell you what a wonderful writer you were and that you would get published, but this particular story wasn’t going to sell. And so on….
Then when part of the group broke off we went to the opposite extreme of having to pretend stuff was great that, well, frankly wasn’t.
I finally have people whom I can trust not to be either destructive or too warm-and-fuzzy, but I still remind myself that their comments are still their opinions and the story is mine. I often take their advice, but not until I’ve internalized it and it feels right.
Hope this helps!
Thanks, Elena! It does help to hear from you and I do plan to take your advice.
It is funny that you mentioned JK Rowling because my husband is the one who teases me “Hurry up JK and finish that novel already, I want to retire!” (I know he’s joking!)