The life cycle of a rough draft is nuts, I mean, you start out thinking that you have the best idea! You can't wait to write all the ideas down. You want them out of your head as fast as your fingers can type them. You know you can fix it when you edit, I mean Nora Roberts said, "You can't edit a blank page." So you write.
Even worse, then you get stuck. And you procrastinate, and then you go back to it, then you poke around online a bit, then you go back to it, and throughout it all, your idea that you loved so much is still bright and shiny! You just need to climb out of this plothole over here, or jump over that speedbump in your story.
Then you're back to writing and you have a big moment coming up! It's amazing, it's brilliant, it...stinks. It really stinks. But-but the shiny! The best idea! All the words! Nope, they all stink, every last one of 'em. But you've got a deadline and you've gotten this far, so lets finish up the words.
Then something miraculous happens. You finish, you type the words THE END, and things make sense, they tie together, they work! Your book really is the best! The shine is back on it, and you think to yourself, "Huh, that doesn't stink after all." And that elation is the best. Then you celebrate! For me, it's a nap and some wine.
This got me thinking, what do other people do once they've reached a goal, or a milestone? So I ask you, what do you do when you've hit a milestone?
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Lieutenant Commander Scott Gordon was injured by an IED on his last mission, and while his leg has healed, it’ll never be strong enough to stay on his SEAL team. Renting the Sea Glass Cottage sounds like the perfect place to figure out how he’s going to handle his new normal.
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Will their summer romance last, or is the magic of Sea Glass Cottage all they’ll have…
Finishing a book is such a high, isn't it? The middle is the time I think nothing is going to work and everyone will hate the book. I'm glad to know I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteI think it's all of us lol
DeleteLove the analogy of Henry Cavil and Ross. Exactly! That's how bad mine is when I write the draft. Sometimes, I think the words on the page will never look like what's in my head. I once had a friend who told me she had a great story. If only she could figure how to get it on paper. As for reaching the end, I'm still trying to learn when I've crossed the finish line.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed it!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI can't continue to the end until every chapter is perfect, at least perfect in my eyes. That's how I'm wired. By the time I type The End, the book's pretty much there, by then I'm bored and think it's crap. When I reread three months later, after it's published, I feel so much better. It's not as awful as I thought.
ReplyDeleteGosh, you must be able to read my mind! Ha! When I finish a book, I celebrate with food. Always food! Sometimes ice cream. Sometimes a cheeseburger. But it's always food!
ReplyDeletea treat is always a good idea!
DeleteThe only thing better than finishing a story is starting one! I loved your post.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing better than finishing a story is starting one! I loved your post.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing better than finishing a story is starting one! I loved your post.
ReplyDeleteHaha, Yeah, I love starting a shiny new book. And I love finishing it up. It's that darn middle that always get to me!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteI once asked Nora Roberts at a book signing what she does with a sagging middle. She responded: "Kill someone." Ha!
ReplyDeleteLOL I'll try that!
DeletePerfect, Laura! You say it SO WELL. When I finish a book, I typically just sit there rather numb and think... WOW, that was somethin'!
ReplyDeleteRight?! I think it needs to sink in! lol
DeleteI love writing those 2 little words, The End, after which, I collapse and catch up on sleep and other essential items I've missed.
ReplyDelete