I'm doing pretty good on the writing front, despite being occasionally sidetracked to look for images that might make good bookcovers (hey, we all have our quirks). It's really amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it and decide to ignore the usual impulses that distract you.
For instance, reading. I love to read! A good book usually has the power to pull me away from everything else and then that's all I'll do, read - until I reach The End. And I have a book like that in my possession now (an ARC of C.L. Wilson's Lord of the Fading Lands) however, my priority right now is getting my WIP to a certain point (100 pages).
I've committed to reach that goal in two weeks. Not just the 100 pages, mind you, but that 100 pages written and polished to high glossy shine, the kind editors won't be able to look away from. Which is just fine with me, because I love the editing. It's my favorite part. The actual writing, not so much.
Don't get me wrong, I like writing. I love the storytelling process, the creative explosion that happens that takes an idea to a full-fledged book. Love it. But the writing isn't what really gets me going. It's seeing what I've written, then tweaking it and making it better. Making it as good as it possibly can be, then putting it aside for a bit only to have another go at it later.
What's your favorite part of the process?
I like the whole thing - writing, editing, revising. I like brainstorming for new ideas, or flashing of insight when I'm not expecting them. The only thing about the whole writing biz I don't like is the submitting. Ack. Why can't I just say how good my books are, and they just accept my word for it? ;o)
ReplyDeleteYES! I'm a "tweaker", too!! I could edit and tweak happily for hours. Love it. Love seeing and enjoying what I've written and making better and better.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting those intial drops of blood on the page that's pure agony. LOL!
The writing is my favorite part :)
ReplyDeleteSo jealous of the CLW arc!!!
ReplyDelete*erica sobs with envy*
My fave parts are the new writing where I'm just making stuff up (love that!) and the feeling you get when you read the ultra-polished version and you're like, "Hey... this is pretty good!"
(The process in between those two steps? Hrmmm... *g)
I love rewriting/editing. That's where I make it thick, yanno?
ReplyDeleteI like it when an idea for a scene hits me and just takes off. I sit at the keyboard, and my fingers seem to have a mind of their own. I hate it though on those days when I sit there, and my fingers won't do anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - theres nothing like actually *liking* what you've written and making it shine!
ReplyDeleteI've actually been so bored with the books I've been reading lately that I started 3 different ones, but put them aside to write instead. Maybe I saturated my brain, and now words have to come out before more are allowed in...
I like to think of extra story lines that I can't possibly put in my story due to length constraints :):) until I finally type the words...The End.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being a writing machine.
L
idea flood- love it. idea spew is also good. Giving it structure with all its noisy little ducks in a row and making it shine and selling it etc-- just hard work.
ReplyDeleteI like the brainstorming at the beginning, when it's all fresh and the possibilities are endless--and I like the actual forward momentum of getting it all down on paper (or, um, screen. Whatever.). I always thought I'd like the editing, since I like editing other people's work, but my own stuff? Not so much. Which is unfortunate, as my current ms needs much revision.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say that coming up with a story, inventing the characters and writing the first 5 or 6 chapters is my favorite. After that it starts getting hard for me to stay focused.
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