how i spend my nights and days
Henry the beagle really likes walking the golf course in the evenings.
Noel likes it, too -- both dogs enjoy being at the end of their leashes, without me having to tug them back from the street or someone's lawn -- but Henry just grins the whole time. I took them out a bit earlier this evening and we encountered some golfers, but I mean honestly if you're still out golfing after 8pm I'm not going to feel bad about walking dogs through your course. Anyway I picked up the poo, like always, and no-one actually seemed upset at us.
.
I've been wrestling with my story lately, the fanfic I won't link here but trust me, it's real, and I've become convinced that writing first drafts is the easy part. Way easy. Bam-bam-bam there's a scene, there's a chapter, there's a story. It's not that I thought editing would be easy, too; I knew that process was going to be difficult, but I have developed a keen appreciation for just how bloody difficult it really is. At least for me.
Because, just an example, a certain scene I thought was pretty golden when I first wrote it I read now and realize it's no longer true. The character as he's developed, as I know him now, would no longer react that way, or say that thing, or even talk to that person at all. But if I want the point of the scene to remain (do I? it's so relieving when I can say, No no I don't, because then I can just trash the entire section), then I have to rework everything.
And even if I like what I wrote originally, usually the tone is completely wrong. My characters have grown as I wrote them, and as I edit they grow even more. So even when I'm more or less content with everything I still have to re-write it almost every time.
I am complaining, a little. It's because I've been thwacking at one chapter for the past month and I can't remember why I like it anymore, but throwing it all out is not an option. Gah.
But it's also pretty fascinating, honestly. This is the biggest project I've worked on, and I am learning quite a bit about how I write. (Mostly all of my procrastination techniques, okay.) I think I can only write one thing at a time -- or, I'm so scared I won't finish this story that I don't want to start anything new -- but I do have another story bubbling on the back-burner of my brain and it's original and I'm really excited to start it.
Provided I can ever finish this damn chapter.
Noel likes it, too -- both dogs enjoy being at the end of their leashes, without me having to tug them back from the street or someone's lawn -- but Henry just grins the whole time. I took them out a bit earlier this evening and we encountered some golfers, but I mean honestly if you're still out golfing after 8pm I'm not going to feel bad about walking dogs through your course. Anyway I picked up the poo, like always, and no-one actually seemed upset at us.
.
I've been wrestling with my story lately, the fanfic I won't link here but trust me, it's real, and I've become convinced that writing first drafts is the easy part. Way easy. Bam-bam-bam there's a scene, there's a chapter, there's a story. It's not that I thought editing would be easy, too; I knew that process was going to be difficult, but I have developed a keen appreciation for just how bloody difficult it really is. At least for me.
Because, just an example, a certain scene I thought was pretty golden when I first wrote it I read now and realize it's no longer true. The character as he's developed, as I know him now, would no longer react that way, or say that thing, or even talk to that person at all. But if I want the point of the scene to remain (do I? it's so relieving when I can say, No no I don't, because then I can just trash the entire section), then I have to rework everything.
And even if I like what I wrote originally, usually the tone is completely wrong. My characters have grown as I wrote them, and as I edit they grow even more. So even when I'm more or less content with everything I still have to re-write it almost every time.
I am complaining, a little. It's because I've been thwacking at one chapter for the past month and I can't remember why I like it anymore, but throwing it all out is not an option. Gah.
But it's also pretty fascinating, honestly. This is the biggest project I've worked on, and I am learning quite a bit about how I write. (Mostly all of my procrastination techniques, okay.) I think I can only write one thing at a time -- or, I'm so scared I won't finish this story that I don't want to start anything new -- but I do have another story bubbling on the back-burner of my brain and it's original and I'm really excited to start it.
Provided I can ever finish this damn chapter.