Back to School Mojo
First, I just want to say how much I miss blogging. It always clears my head. At the risk of blogging half-formed posts, I may need to reincorporate regular blogging into my writing goals because it does something so positive for me. So, stay tuned and I promise to make such posts have some sort of direction or meaningful nugget beyond my own need to vent/write about my writing.
Okay, then. It’s day three of my kids being back to school and today was the first day I didn’t have to go to my day job. So, yay!! A day for writing. Kind of. Mostly.
I’ve taken a couple of weeks off from both revising and drafting my latest WIPs. August is a busy month for my family, back to school, etc. I also really pushed through a lot of writing goals over the summer: another attempt at JuNoWriMo (participated, but didn’t complete 50k), working with new CPs (woo!), and dipping my toe into querying. It was great, I feel like I’ve made good progress, but after some feedback (various sources I’ll get to in another post), I decided to revise my second WIP yet again. And, gladly, for the most part.
But, I do struggle with a bit of guilt when I take off that much time from writing. Still, sometimes ideas need to simmer and I needed some time to regroup and figure out how to approach another round of edits.
I approached my draft a few days ago and had a big bout of panic. I’d rewritten the first couple of pages. I’m sure this is something I’ll do a few more times (and have already!), but I wanted to put more action, more internal conflict into the initial pages. After taking a couple of weeks away, I read the revised version and cringed. Yeah. We’ll see if I have that reaction again because I got through it and promptly closed my document, half-convinced it wasn’t salvageable. The drama!
This is why I like having a few versions saved. I save them by date. I might go back to the previous one and see what worked better. My latest beginning seemed over-written (which it was!). Sigh. Maybe it’s because my herione is essentially contemplative for a few paragraphs. She’s also walking somewhere, but it needs that balance of tension, energy, and clarity. Also, since this story is a paranormal romance, I’ve worried I need to add more of a paranormal (fantasy, to be specific) element to the first section. It’s in there, but not for my POV character. Instead, it reads as historical. Much to do.
Today I’m feeling more optimistic and grounded in my writing. Maybe enough things have gotten settled in my personal life, but something has eased into place. I’m ready to delve in again and see what I can do to make the story stronger. At this point, I’m not someone who can write every day and be productive. Sometimes taking some time away helps me see more clearly what does and doesn’t need to be done. Also, I can be easier on myself after I’ve taken a break. Hello, Mojo, I’m well-caffeinated. Let’s go.
Happy Friday to you and happy writing! Wish me luck! 🙂
