I’ve crossed the 3 month point for being a full-time writer. I know in the past month I have not been the best blogger. The reason is, I’ve been focusing so hard on my writing.
My writing class is almost over and I’m happy I took it. Through the critiques, I’ve gained confidence in my ability to write – the feedback on my writing has been very positive. But of course, being able to write and being able to tell a story are two different things. Now that I feel like I can actually write, I need to figure out if I can actually tell a story. I think I can, but that’s where beta readers will come in.
In the past month I’ve made a lot of progress on my novel. I’ve added conflicts and developed characters. I’ve added to the word count. I’ve figured out plot details. But, despite all of my progress, I still have a ways to go.
My goal for the next month is to finish the current draft, which is very nearly complete, and then work my butt off editing. I had hoped to be at the editing stage by June 1. That obviously did not happen. But part of why that didn’t happen is because I’ve been editing as I go along, going back and fixing things I know aren’t working. I still have a major fix that needs to be popped in around chapters 2/3, but I’ve decided to hold off on that and to just keep writing as though I’ve already done it.
My deadline for finishing is my wedding, which is rapidly approaching. I’ve always worked better under pressure, and I can definitely feel the pressure. But I don’t mind. I kind of like it. And knowing me, if I had until infinity to write my book, it would probably never get written. But knowing I have a deadline, well it helps me accept that it will never be perfect. Nothing ever is. Instead I just have to get it perfect enough. I have to treat it like a school paper, like my master’s thesis and accept that I can only get it as perfect as I’m capable of getting it and hopefully, if I’m lucky, that will be perfect enough.
