After three weeks of beating my head against the wall, trying to get the chapter I was stuck on to work, I finally cracked it. I'd love to say that once it clicked, the deathless prose flowed like water from a tap, and that the final product's one of the best chapters I've ever written, but the fact is, that just ain't true.
What is true is that for several weeks, the chapter was unworkable crap. (Overstatement? Maybe. But it sure felt like unworkable crap to me, so really, what's the difference?) Now it's rough, and messy, but good enough for me to move on. And really, that's all I wanted. First drafts are allowed to have their rough spots. The trick, for me, is to make sure that even those rough spots have the raw materials in place that'll allow me to make something out of 'em later. I don't always know what raw materials I'm going to need later on, but something in my head always seems to know when they're missing.
So yeah. Back on track. Just another 30,000 words to go. Time to get cranking.
11 comments:
Great post. I know exactly what you mean.
Best of luck and that the last 30,000 runs smoothly.
Thanks, guys. Sometimes, this writing gig ain't so romantic -- but then, if it were easy, what would be the fun in that? (Oh, right -- fame, fortune, critical acclaim. On second thought, maybe easy wouldn't suck.)
If only I could learn the lesson that first drafts are supposed to have rough spots... I'd be a much happier writer. I've done enough rewrites to make two novels. Last count, I've written 185K words over three years on this book with 65K I consider finish product. That's not a good ratio.
The ratio doesn't matter -- plenty of folks write a dozen novels before they see publication. What matters is crossing that finish line, because no one's ever going to publish half a novel, no matter how perfect that half is. And for me, crossing the finish line is contingent on me keeping in mind that there's no such thing as "done", there's only "good enough for now". And hey, you can always tinker later -- just ask George Lucas. (Okay, lousy example, but you get the point.)
What Lyman says. Those rough spots stop me in my tracks every time. Because I started with poetry, I got used to mulling over each word instead of getting the story down. Can't break the habit.
I know plenty of people who skip those rough bits and move on to the next section, but that's a skill I seem to lack. So for me, there's nothing to do but put my head down and barrel on. Not fun, nor pretty, but by sheer force of will, I usually manage to get through it.
My boss doesn't really understand his story until he finishes the first draft, so we never spend too much time on any one chapter. There's a good chance it'll get tossed in subsequent drafts. Someday when the boss is all grown up, I hope he'll write better first drafts. Save time.
Oh, if only I could. For some reason, I can never force myself to move on until the scene I'm working on is broadly feasible. I'd love to blast through first drafts in a matter of weeks, but that just ain't in the cards.
I know what you mean, Chris; those rough patches make you want to pull your hair out. Glad you're movin' on!
Thanks, Brenda!
Post a Comment