Write, Write, and Rewrite

Good morning. This picture, taken in March 2008, pretty much sums up what I can see out my window today. At the moment, it's snowing, but according to the weather gurus, that's going to turn into ice pellets, freezing rain, rain, and the same thing will continue tomorrow followed by two days of snow.

If this is Mother Nature's idea of a joke, I'm not laughing. We had freezing rain and rain aplenty last Wednesday and the Tuesday before that. My calendar says spring begins three weeks today, but judging by the weather, Nature and I aren't on the same page!

Write, write, and rewrite. Sounds simple, but it can be as frustrating as all get out. Last Sunday, I mentioned how difficult my characters are being in my new wip, and while I've made some progress, it isn't coming along as quickly as I'd like. That could be due to a number of factors including a week filled with interuptions, real-life invading my writing cave, my crisis of faith over the loss of my beloved minister and friend, and my inability to move beyond my anger and grief. It could also be because I'm trying too hard to steer the characters in the direction I want them to go rather than letting them take me where they want to go--a difficult situation for an author who writes character-driven stories. I have written and rewritten the same scene at least a dozen times, and I'm still not happy with it. In my head, the premise works beautifully, but when I try to put it down on paper, it just doesn't feel right.

How am I going to deal with this?

I have options, and one of them is to move around the difficult scene and go on with the story. As a linear writer, I've never done this before, but I'm considering it. Another option is to set the work aside and go on to something else. Maybe I should just stick with my Tuesday Tale and finish it off. It's at the halfway mark and that work doesn't seem to give me issues. Perhaps I should focus on another episode of Eloisia, although Episode Three didn't sell well. It might be time to pull that all together into one book, too, but I was hoping to leave that until after my trip. I could write a short story or work on another novella. I have lots of ideas I'd like to flesh out, and maybe putting these characters back in the imagination drawer to stew and grow is the way I have to go. The final alternative is to actually write the synopsis and plot outline for the story--a truly scary suggestion, but maybe if I do that, it'll show me what my characters are trying to take me if I let them.

The other thing I can do is just step away from the writing cave for a few days--I can clean out my closets, decide what I want to take with me on my trip later this spring--bake cookies and maybe do more reading. It's been ages since I've actually read something new. Maybe it's time for a break.

I can focus on promotion for a day or two, but the reality is I need to write, so ... write, write, and rewrite. Maybe I'll get to work on my A to Z blogs for the month of April. Get a few of them set up ahead of time. Who knows, if I get moving in another directions, my characters just might want to play nice, and we can have another go at things.

Well, that sums up what I'll do this week. How about you? No matter what you choose to do, have fun. Life is too short to spend in regret. Have a great week.