There must be something about tackling revision that makes me binge. I haven't done any revision in three weeks and my diet was just fine thank you. Now trying to get back to the grind I am eating out of control again! What is the connection. Is it the feelings of inadequacy that make me eat two bowls of crunchy nuts when I don't really like them but they are there??? Reeses are calling me from the corner store. I know they are there. I am not physically hungry but it doesn't matter.
I don't want to revise any more. I don't want to write in a vacuum feeling its all shit and why do I bother. I am staring at page 57 wondering how to make Tristan more edgy when I don't know if I want him more edgy. I find him delicious as he is but if I don't make him more edgy or something then the end of the book will not feel as good. It sucks and I am ranting. Help!!
3 comments:
(((Liz)))
I would suggest taking a break from writing for a little while, but I know you've just had that with the school holidays.
So instead, how about starting something completely new? New characters, new story... You might find that as you write something fresh you'll begin to see how what you've learned comes out in your writing easier this time around. Then you will be able to go back to August Rock in a different frame of mind.
I think sometimes with editing we get so close to the story and how we had written it originally that we can't see the wood for the trees. This makes visualizing changes in the story, and the characters in particular, very hard to see sometimes.
This is what happened when I revised Haunted Hearts after its NWS review. I had a big task ahead of me because I had to change both characters' backgrounds, mindsets, and conflicts, as well as a whole plot-strand of the story. It seemed like this hugely impossible task and at some points I wanted to just put it in a drawer and forget it, convinced that I couldn't change it the way it needed to be changed.
But once I finally forced myself to jump in and start (and it took a *while* -- you can read the timeline from June onwards on my blog!) good things happened and the story became what it always should have been. In short, I surprised myself because I had been thinking so negatively and unconfidently (is that a real word?).
So don't be afraid to take that break and come back to AR in a little while. Re-exercise your writing muscles on something new so they can be stronger for your edits.
((HUG))
And yes, I ate with editing, too. Also did lots of other random odd-jobs around the house. Basic timewasting, because I just did not want to sit in that chair and work!
Jess x
Jess,
You are great :) i definately feel better today. Maybe because I spent most of the morning working on a workshop for dd year three class at school. Sounds grand doesn't it but its basically how mind mapping can help them plan. Doing some simple mapping made things llok clear on the magic coin so maybe I need to go do some simple mapping of the changes I know I need to make.
Its so encouraging to hear how you turned Haunted Hearts around after NWS. I will keep repeating the mantra that I can do it :)
Love,
Liz
:) You definitely can!
Mapping could certainly work. I'm not generally very organized with my writing, but I remember now that I made a photocopy of my NWS report, highlighted all the recommendations for change, made a list of them split into character changes and plot changes, then wrote lots of ideas for what the new versions could be. In the end I'd managed to come up with quite a lot (although many would not have worked).
Let your mind run free!!
Jess x
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