Goooood morning lovely, beautiful, amazing people,
Listen, I know that I didn’t post last week, I just got this new game and I’m completely obsessed. But to make up for it. I will be posting twice this week, that is a promise as I have 2 days off work and will be getting a lot of writing during that time also. I’ll have a lot more to talk about.
So I did finish up editing ch. 4 (thank God), it was actually easier than the previous chapters were. Which I super needed by the way. I am now working on ch. 5 and things are going really well. I am much happier with how everything is turning out and I’m only getting more and more ideas for how to string things together better in this book and how to attach it to BKs 2 and 3. So that’s great.
Now, I want to talk about shitty first drafts mainly because some newbies and inexperienced writers seem to think it doesn’t happen to everyone. And maybe for some very experienced authors it doesn’t, but it usually does. Even after finishing writing a total of 10 unpublished books, I am still writing super shitty, mega shitty, first drafts. As an example, I am having so much trouble editing this one, it’s like trying to climb a mountain with chopsticks for pikes, just saying.
So, to say the least, it’s been rough, but as I slowly climb the mountain, it begins to get shallower and the parts of the mountain behind me are lower for the next time I have to climb it. My first draft was a complete mess, now it’s beginning to turn into something legible and intelligent where it used to be little more than a pile of trash, literally. Basically, just words grouped together hoping to string a plot along in there somewhere.
I do feel very down about it sometimes because it’s taking me so long to get through it, but I do understand the amount of work I’ve put in and the amount that is finished. And honestly, it’s a lot. Think of it this way, I am now creating a story from a massive info dump and weaving in the information as it is needed making it much more clear and a lot less boring. Because let’s face it, the last thing we want is our writing to be boring. Cuz that’s a sure-fire way to lose your reader, have them chucking your book across the room.
No, if a reader has to chuck your book across the room or feels the need to, you want it to be from surprise or anger or fear, from an emotional connection they have to your work and your characters, not because they wish they’d never bought it.
That being said, if this mountain you’re climbing with chopsticks is gruelling and you feel like giving up, then maybe it’s worth more than you thought. If it’s this hard, then it has to be twice as good in the end. Don’t give up, don’t let yourself give up. Keep going, as hard as it is to do just that. If it’s this hard, it’s worth it and if you’re making any progress at all, then so are you.
Love yourself and your writing, no matter how bad it gets because it’s part of you and it’s beautiful just as you are. ;) Don’t give up lovelies! Never stop writing, and writing will never stop you. Have a great writing day and don’t forget, a little progress is better than none at all. You can do this. And as always, feel free to let me know what you’ve been up to. I love hearing from you guys, comment, tell me how your writing is going, if there’s anything you want me to touch on in the future. Bye for now.
Celine Rose Marie