Finding Your Systems, for now...
Writing happens in phases: an idea hits, you write it down, type it up, edit it, groan about it, wonder if anyone even cares, edit some more, then send it out.
The balance between paid and unpaid writing is ever pressing. Paid writing feels more like essay assignments from school (clear parameters, deadlines, goals, awaiting clients). Unpaid writing is more elusive (Does anyone care? Why am I spending time on this? Will I ever get paid?)
I listen to interviews with writers, hushing whenever Terry Gross speaks, and a common question interviewers ask is: What are your writing habits? Followed by: What do you recommend others do? (If I do what you do, will my book be published in 12 languages, too?)
Even the most established writers tend to laugh at this because, I suspect, they themselves are only vaguely aware of how and why certain habits are working. They also know that what works for them might not work for you. And whatever habits got them through this project may not work at all for the next one.
Writing is moody that way.
My habits are evolving: I prefer handwriting before typing. Pencil over pen. My morning brain writes better than my evening brain. I rarely succeed at writing in coffee shops. Notetaking is very different than drafting. Research comes before writing (or if that’s not working, just write something anyhow and deal with researching later). Don’t stop a sentence to open the internet; use brackets instead to denote [things I don’t know].
Years of trying what works and what doesn’t seems to rely on just that: years of trying. The good news is, now’s a great time to start trying!
Phase 7: Edit Some More
Today, I’m embarking on that second “edit some more” phase. I have dozens of scenes, chapters, snippets of a novel, all saved on my computer. I have post-it notes, scribbles on cardboard, scrap papers pinned to corkboards that say things like “Change Joshua part about thick trees to mention manicured parks.” I have bits of dialogue popping into my head that feel so valuable I write them down without any context or clue of whether they belong in this novel or a future one…
Becoming a writer feels like a mad dash to nowhere. Somewhere. I’m still not sure.
Cut and Paste, Literally
Typically, I resist printing pages so as to not be wasteful, but getting chapters off my computer into tangible form is a critical step that allows me to see what I really have. Right now, I have 3 major sections of my novel all sitting at 80-90% completion (I think, I hope!). They live in their own folders, in one word doc or many. My next step is to print these pages out, cut, splice, edit, update, and merge them all back together.
I have never done this on such a scale before.
What’s exciting about this moment is that by putting 3 different storylines together, I get to experience my own book for the first time again.
Questions I Need to Address
Missing Pieces
What scenes are still missing? Can I find a place to add historically significant details like the Tyler Preemption Act of 1841? Is there a character who might mention that? Or is this something to let go?
Strengthening Plot
Are all 3 storylines aligning? Do my characters and their relationships make sense? Are sections I wrote 10 years ago still as good as I hope they are? Does the voice, tone, mood carry through?
Overall Structure
Should I write chapter titles or just use chapter numbers? Do I organize it by parts/books/seasons? Do I care about balancing chapter lengths, etc.?
The Ending
Will it all come together in the end? Since I started, I’ve always known how I want this book to end. But there’s been a lot of new voices, characters, scenes added since I started, and I admit I’m waiting to see how they come together before typing that final scene.
5 Minutes a Day
All I’m committing to is 5 minutes a day (like James Clear’s Two-Minute Rule), which is the best way I’ve found to convince myself to show up every day. Whether it’s writing, editing, running, or going to the gym all I need to do is show up for 5 minutes. Chances are I’ll stay a little longer.
And that’s how I’m making incremental progress.
yeah, nice pants...but it is the same beautiful smile. say hi to your folks and sisters
Boy do I hear you. I am meeting with my editor today, to begin work on cutting my manuscript by a third. I forsee alot of cutting/pasting in my future.. let the slashing begin!