Ok MMW family,
I’ve done it! I’ve stuck with my writing schedule…sort of. I
definitely don’t get to write the four hours a week as I had originally planned
on thanks to the end of the year scramble plus STAAR testing. BUT I have been
writing more and more. I jot down ideas or dialogue that pop into my head. I
have even put a scene or two together. Progress!
The only failure I have to admit is editing…I really despise
editing. I need it, and I know I need it, but I really, REALLY don’t wanna.
*insert whiny voice*
There is something about having to go back through your
work, looking for imperfections and pulling apart the story you had put your
heart and soul into, that is heart wrenching. Thinking about all that work
makes me feel overwhelmed and stressed. So I mentally set it aside for another
day (which then turns into weeks, months, years).
My husband always suggests I give my story to a family
member to read and edit, but in my head I turn into Gollum (Lord of the Rings)
and clutch my story to my chest hissing, “It’s MY precious.” I am trapped in a
conundrum of my own making and I need help getting out.
So my question to my fellow writers is this: how do you
motivate yourself to edit? Do you have strategies that work for you? PLEASE
share them! I need all the help I can get… J
I find motivation by visiting an art gallery. I live in Springville, UT, and my little city has a public gallery that is impressive for the size of our town, and the BYU Museum of Art is a short drive. I am not talented in the visual arts, but I like to see exhibits that show the process an artist used - the many steps, planning, layers, revisions. Or even just the works of art themselves where the labor is evident. It reminds me that it would be absurd to think the artist should have stopped after the first sketch or first layer of color. It reminds me that art is a long process and I have not failed by needing to add or remove layers/textures/colors to my writing. My novel is just not gallery ready yet.
ReplyDeleteAfter finding the motivation, the hard part for me is finding enough uninterrupted time to do the editing. Lately I have been working on the habit that Mon -Thurs I tuck my kids, clean up a little, exercise, then write. The weekend is harder, but this weekday schedule has helped me be much more consistent.
I find motivation by visiting an art gallery. I live in Springville, UT, and my little city has a public gallery that is impressive for the size of our town, and the BYU Museum of Art is a short drive. I am not talented in the visual arts, but I like to see exhibits that show the process an artist used - the many steps, planning, layers, revisions. Or even just the works of art themselves where the labor is evident. It reminds me that it would be absurd to think the artist should have stopped after the first sketch or first layer of color. It reminds me that art is a long process and I have not failed by needing to add or remove layers/textures/colors to my writing. My novel is just not gallery ready yet.
ReplyDeleteAfter finding the motivation, the hard part for me is finding enough uninterrupted time to do the editing. Lately I have been working on the habit that Mon -Thurs I tuck my kids, clean up a little, exercise, then write. The weekend is harder, but this weekday schedule has helped me be much more consistent.