Either write something worth reading or do something worth
writing. – Benjamin Franklin
A friend recently told me, “This creative stuff is hard.” (she was endeavoring to write and was surprised how hard 500 words can be)
Writing is hard work.
Writing something worth reading is even harder.
I was reminded of this yesterday as I slogged through revisions that took far longer than they should. I expected to whip through a chapter and send it off to the Coven (my crit group is gamely named the Coven of Scribblers). It was taking twice as long as I expected, and I didn’t meet my personal deadline (hopefully today, ladies!). But part way through I realized there was a reason why these particular words were taking so much longer than the 6,000 I had zipped through the previous week.
This chapter was important. Key. Vital to the plot, the characters, the emotional heart of the story – everything that made this novel worth reading was found in microcosm in THIS chapter. And so it had to be just right. It demanded more from me as a writer.
I took a deep breath and gave myself time to do justice to the words. So I could write something worth reading.
When is writing hard for you?
Great post, revisions are always hard for me. There's some little piece of my brain that screams, "You already wrote this part! I thought we liked it the first time!" Sometimes it's like marching through a brick wall
I love that quote.
The more important it is, the more I long for it to be REALLY good, the harder it is. 🙂
@Ken marching through a brick wall Exactly!
@Shannon And I'm sure I'll struggle with this chapter on each revision, too! 🙂
The first draft is the molar-grinding part for me! I love revising, though!
I agree with Darby. I don't mind revising, it's getting that first draft completed so I can look at the whole picture. Of course, when I start revising it never seems to end 🙁
It's all about making the final product the best we can make it…that's why we have critique buddies…that's why publishers have editors. 🙂
Happy writing and revising, friend….
I'm holding on to that quote — it's perfect! Rachel Vail said something like this at the conference this summer: "The scene you're avoiding, the one that's the hardest to write, is the scene your book needs. You have to rub it like a bruise. It hurts like hell. It's the exhausting scene." Good luck with it today!!
When I don't have enough time…
🙂
@Darby It's funny how some people are rough-draft people and some are revision people! 🙂
@Catherine Tell me about the endless revisions! 🙂
@Sharon You know, it was much easier the second day …
@Sherrie Rachel Vail is such a wise person. And absolutely right.
@Bryan There's never enough time, and writing simply cannot be rushed. Sometimes it comes in a rush, but forcing it never works for me. I hope you have a little more breathing room soon! 🙂
I think it's the same point at which I hit the wall – the key parts of the story. For my current manuscript, though I'd had a massive brainstorm splattered in the pages of my journal, I'd still approached its development rather organically…so when I found myself with all sorts of intriguing loose ends that officially needed to tie up somehow (or not, as I wanted to leave some open), it was the sheer decision-time that crippled me for a while. I had so many different scenarios spinning off in different directions in my mind, but I had to choose the one that bring it all on home, as well as decide what would get tied neatly in a bow and what would remain unraveled. When it's so critical, I need to step away and sort through in my mind or scribble it in short spurts on paper to dislodge the pebble from the gears :).
@monkey It is such an iterative process sometimes – outline, plot, write, write, outline some more, change the plot, write – I think that's how it has to be, if you're going to truly flesh out your story. Keep going! 🙂