https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B0BMTM18PW
I feel the tug. The finish line is within reach. In 7,000ish words I will write The End on the last page of Jillian’s story. I know how the final scene unfolds and I have a few ideas on how to play out the tale before it closes to ensure reader (and writer) satisfaction. It’s just a matter of getting there. As long as a bird doesn’t fly by the window. Or the sunrise isn't as dramatic as yesterdays. I fight the distractions. But often lose.
Possibly my reasoning
for running away to a writer's retreat so I can focus on finishing the novel has a few
flaws:
- the landscape is different. And stunning. Where’s my camera?
- the writer camaraderie is infectious and interrupts getting the words down with intense conversations on the writing topic
- the running-down-my-face tears of laughter is hard to pull away from to get back at it – the writing
- there's a lot of temptation to eavesdrop and offer another author assistance with their scene's dilemma. It’s obvious I can solve their issues faster than deal with my own.
- and the food - so much food. There's no rule anywhere that says you can’t have tiramisu and eclairs for breakfast, correct?
Before I finish the first draft, I put up this concrete wall so I can't see what comes after I type The End. And so I don’t get sidelined with revisions before giving the draft its due process.
I will admit I'm looking forward to picking a cool voice for WORD to read Jillian's adventures to me. During the reread my focus will be to listen, follow along on the screen and catch glaring typos or punctuation errors. I promise myself I won’t get into the nitty gritty of fixing scenes. Not yet. But I will make notes in the margins to remind myself to stop at specific spots that need some love and/or wordsmithing.
Once that’s complete, I will climb over that daunting wall to fix flaws, patch plotholes, find Beta readers (try not to breathe down their necks), review and tackle their suggestions, complete another read through, get an editor on board (be patient waiting for their return of my MS), review and manage the editor(s) comments and suggestions, another read through (possibly with a new voice) and then return the finished piece back to the editor for a final critique. Before I submit it to the publisher, I will proofread it one more time.
Getting to The End of the first draft never gets old regardless of the process it has taken to get there.
Maybe that’s why I keep
coming back to write – the tug, the chaos, the tiramisu for breakfast, the
whole messiness of turning a story into an escape for the reader. I revel in
the angst, the excitement, the frustration, the tears, and the satisfaction of completing the project.
Here’s what a few authors think about finishing a first draft:
Ernest Hemingway - "The first draft of anything is shit"
Anne Lamott - "Incredibly shitty, self-indulgent, whiny, mewling first draft"
Shannon Hale - "I remind myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box, so that later, I can build castles"
None of their thoughts seem overly encouraging and yet here I am…
When you read a story, do you ever wonder what process the author went through to write it?
Baker, Barbara - BWL
Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)
Barbara Baker Author Page Facebook
What About Me? by Barbara Baker — BWL
Publishing
Jillian of Banff XO —
BWL Publishing
