Friday, July 22, 2011

Bogged down, twisted up and thoroughly tapped out

Do you ever feel like this when editing?

Because I edit while I write, my first drafts are generally pretty clean and complete.

Except when I force myself to write 30,000 words in 10 days.

I have finished editing 102 of 131 pages (I always keep my files single spaced with no page breaks for chapters), have added almost 10,000 words to the draft, and have now come to the point in the story where large chunks need to be filled in/re-written. I'm not talking about missing sections of plot... I mean proper character development grinds to a halt and from here on, this reads only slightly better than a set of stage directions -> Character A gets to Point B (scraps of setting), scowls angrily, "dialogue here", scene change...

Which is a bad thing, of course.

It's heavy editing. Suffocating, almost. And my brain keeps looking for a-thousand-and-one distractions.

I'm sure everyone finds it equally difficult to keep two or three character's emotions/desires in their head (plus what the off-scene characters are up to) while focusing on a single scene, but still trying to keep in mind the overarching necessities like pacing and how that one scene relates to the ones around it.

At times like this, I truly wish I had a hard and fast deadline hanging over me like a guillotine. 'Cause I'd get it done, even if it nearly killed me.

What about you? How do you keep yourself in line when you feel like this? Do you need another person to offer words of encouragement help, or scold you to be accountable?

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