Writing Wrongs

July 07, 2006

I think the correlation between number of blog posts each week and whether or not I�m in story-land is a good one. If I�m in story-land, I�m not updating the blog as much. Or at all. I am remiss.

Ah, but it�s really nice to be back in story-land, especially since I wasn�t sure I could find my way here again, at least not with this story. I was truly excited about all the work I did using the Breakout Novel workbook, but was I wasn�t sure I could translate that into actual prose.

Okay, I�m still not sure, even if I am writing actual prose. At first, I wasn�t sure I could capture Bethany�s voice again. I�m a huge proponent of letting a manuscript sit for a while, but maybe I had let this one sit for too long.

I just ignored those feelings and did it. I simply wrote whatever it was I needed to write. There are two variations of feelings when it comes to writing. There�s a gut feeling you get when you know something isn�t right with a scene and you can�t write. It�s good to listen to that feeling.

Then there�s the almost-but-not quite gut feeling. It looks like the gut feeling; it acts like the gut feeling; it tastes like the gut feeling. But it isn�t. That feeling needs to be ignored.

So I did, and broke through to the other side. What�s on the other side? Why story-land, of course.

How do you know you�re in story-land? First, a sense of giddiness wells up inside you. You feel like you could write forever, and honestly wonder why you haven�t been writing forever, fool that you are. You lose sense of time. Or place. Personal hygiene can take a backseat. You may succumb to the urge to rub your hands together and chuckle softly to yourself.

Uh, not that I�ve ever done that.

So if you don�t see me much this weekend, I�m either at the zoo (with the kids) or off in story-land.

As for the girl over in the corner, rubbing her hands together and chuckling softly to herself?

Just ignore her.

Charity Tahmaseb wrote at 11:57 a.m.

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