Lucky you and lucky me this is my last day. Fact is I don't have time for author pages, funny how that works, doesn't seem to be rocket science that if I don't have time to write I won't have time to blog either--but there is good news--I think the pages work.
Seriously, I wrote a short story last night in one sitting and fixed a few chapters in my book today. I've figured out a format that will work with my new book and I'm having that little burbling of excitment to find time to write again--dang have I missed it. But since I said I'd do a week I better do four days, right?
So here are my author pages for the day.
I realized today that I've been working on this book for 7 months, is that not sad? And yet, who cares so long as it turns out, right? I've been pondering the concept of 'one step at a time' over the last few months, when I find myself looking ahead and getting overwhemled by the "what if..." and "suppose that..." and I'm really trying hard to look at just one step at a time, one day at a time. It's not easy for me to do. I'm a planner, I like to know ahead of time mostly because I'm just arrogant enough to think I have a super power that allows me to control my future. Now in theory, that's true, since the future is really just a building up of all the things I do every day, but that's not a bullet proof theory. Crap's gunna happen anyway.
Then the other day on the LDStormakers yahoo group we discussed the concept of Grace, how we do all we can and the Lord does the rest. Now granted writing books isn't quite equal to Eternal Salvation, but I don't think the concept is too different. I look at the pages of cuts I have (198) and the pages of keeper stuff (61) and feel depressed and pessimistic, wondeirng how I could possibly write an entire novel when I'm trashing three times what I'm writing. But the fact is I can't write a whole book today--it would be impossible. But I can write a chapter, or fix a chapter, or cut a chapter--I can do something, can't I? Yesturday I did quite a lot of somethings and it felt great. Today I did a little something more and my book isn't finished but it's taking shape. I once told a freind that if she were told she had to date 200 guys before she met Mr.Right, (or Mr. Wright if you happen to be Julie Wright) woudln't she start asking guys out left and right? If I were told that it would take me a year and 300 cut pages before I'd get this book written, wouldn't I be doing anything I could to get those 300 pages out of the way? It's not hard to look at my own track record and see that the fact is I cut an average of 300 pages per book. I end up with a 300 page final draft and 300 pages of wordy garbage, but if that's what it takes for me, then cut away, right? And if I can't write an entire book today, why beat myself up about the little bit I do?
So that's where I'm at and I'm okay. Now next week I'll be making a list of ten things I like about myself to keep from drinking the Listerine, but for today I'm good and isn't that what it's about? I can't change yesturday and I have no influence over tomorrow other than having a good today so that's my plan.
Might you also take off the binoculars and look at today for just...one day.
2 comments:
Neah, don't drink Listerine. Nyquil's better. :)
Now listen, don't you worry about all those cuts. I happen to know that your finished product is dang good. And if you have to get 300 pages cut to get to those 300 dang good ones, so be it. It's the price you pay for excellence!
Seven months isn't long to be working on a novel. I have one that I've been working on for years and it's no where near to done. Writing is definitely one of those things that can only be done in small steps.
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