Writing Diaries: Uncertainty in the Time of Novels
Book Deadline: T-Minus 1 month and some odd days
I’m at the point where I’m pretty sure I’m golden or this book is going to crash and burn. Usually, I would start to panic if I was in the early drafting stage of this book. I’d worry that I announced the book too early. I’d worry that maybe these characters won’t be written for a long while and I should backtrack and rethink my life, and most importantly—writing—decisions.
However, there is a reason for this.
There are a few checkpoints when I write where I am unconsciously forced to slam on the breaks when I am writing. I have yet to find the reason why. I only know I am prepared for when this sort of thing happens.
And I try (and sometimes fail) not to panic.
These kinds of bumps in the road happen at around 28k, 42k, and 63k… and usually, once I hit 70k we are full speed ahead racing toward the finish line.
In case you were wondering. I’m currently sitting very pretty at almost that 63k word mark. And this past week I didn’t do something that I normally don’t do right away. I started over again.
Don’t be afraid. This is a good thing. Because I am not throwing the words out. In this context, it means that at this point, the book and my writing have evolved. And so, I have to go back to the beginning and finally—FINALLY—get to my favorite part of the writing process.
Revision.
I currently have at least a little bit of story/scene in every single chapter of this book, and now I can go back and smooth things out and fill in those final few chapters. I decided not to push them out now for a few reasons.
If I did force myself to write all the scenes, they would probably have to be entirely rewritten anyway to make the storyline smoother. I'm going to be creating these now a lot more organically as I move through the story again. That would be a huge waste of my time and would be a huge stress as well. So we are taking this in stride.
I get to create the romantic tension between our love interests. What’s a good contemporary romance without the pining? No good. That’s what I say. Usually within a first or even a second draft when I am still trying to figure out the story for myself, it is hard to create this thoughtful sort of tension. Now is its time to shine.
I also get to add in little details that may add an extra chapter or scene to the story eventually anyway. I need these important things that I decided the character is going to have to have worked in this sort of revision draft situation. And now that I can almost see the finish line in sight? I am much more confident about where I need to go to make the book what I hope and imagine it will be.
This book is going to be written soon enough.
And I can’t wait to see how it all forms together by The End.
Can you?
Currently writing…
Be sure to pre-order your ebook copy of When in December so it arrives on your Kindle the moment it’s available on release day!
Congratulations, this sounds like a huge milestone!