Winter has settled in. The hats, scarves, and gloves that were worn with festive anticipation in December are lying on the floor next to the snow boots, a puddle of slush collecting beneath them. We’ve gone from hoping for snow and walking in a winter wonderland to walking hunched over, bent into the icy wind, just trying to get to the car.
The year 2020 was pretty awful and I think we’re all glad it’s gone. The year 2021, however, stands in the corner smirking and saying, “Hold my beer.”
Even with pandemic lockdowns and time on our hands, it’s been tough to get words on the page. The stress of facing the day and whatever fresh hell it will bring has had a chilling effect on our creativity. Finances, illness, the threat of censorship, distrust in a government that has gone mad (on both sides, mind you.)–it can be tough to slip into the trancelike state a writer needs.
Still, there have been good writing days. I only have about half the work from my day job that I had before the pandemic, which means I have a few free hours each day. I’ve tried to make the best of them, but I haven’t always succeeded. My debut novel is almost finished. I know, I’ve said that before; but each time I read it through, I find something that needs work. If you hear anyone claim to have a finished, marketable manuscript at the end of NaNo, I want you to send them to bed without dessert. While a manuscript has to be declared finished at some point, please respect the craft enough to give it your best before inflicting an error-ridden monstrosity onto the world.
I still have some fleshing out to do before I send my manuscript out to beta readers. There’s an aspect of the story that required some research, and that slowed my progress more than I expected it would. I could have winged it, I guess. It isn’t an area the average person would have detailed knowledge about and there are different opinions about it among the experts; but in doing the research, I discovered something that would add a slight twist to the plot. Had I rushed things, I never would have found it. Having acquired the knowledge I needed, I now have to slip it into the story without it sounding as if the characters are lecturing the reader on the topic. The information has to frighten one character enough that it causes him to make a drastic decision. As you can see, there is still work to be done.
Beyond the basic plot, there are still several areas of the manuscript that just don’t sound right. When I read it back to myself, there are spots where I swear I hear an audible clunk where the words don’t flow as they should. If I hear it, my reader will hear it. A red X marks the clunk and I sit and stew over how to fix it. I find myself shrinking from the task because it will involve rewriting a chunk of dialogue for some of it and deciding how much of it happens inside a character’s head. That can be tricky. How much does Sam tell Tom? How much does he hide from him? How does Tom process what he hears? How does it affect his decisions? Multiple characters present multiple problems. Seamlessly tying them together is hard work.
Having removed all the chapter breaks a few months ago (they were impeding my progress), I now have to decide where to put them back. With the manuscript more fully formed, that shouldn’t be too tough. I’m feeling pretty optimistic about the project.
After this novel is put to bed, I’m going back to writing for children for a while. If I decide to write another novel (a sequel is kicking around in my head), at least I won’t have such a massive learning curve to navigate.
I hope this year brings you fresh ideas and inspiration. Turn off the news and social media and escape into your manuscript. Defy the fear and anxiety so prevalent in society. Create something wonderful.
We could all use a little wonderful.
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