Writing outside on the lounger with my dear little companion is the best of the best! Laptops rock!
Writing is work. I know it sounds like fun; people tell me this all the time. Here’s the full disclosure: like any job, it has its exhilarating moments, creative aspects, very difficult mental challenges, and drudgery.
At this point in my life, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Golf? Forget it. Fun but self-torture. Travel? Sure, but it is nice to do laundry at home, eat in, and relax at home, too. Tennis? Too vigorous. Reading? Yes, but I have my limits. Alas, this leaves me stuck with my ideas and my laptop, pounding out stories. Hooray!
Let me tell you a bit about the writing life.
Words lead to sentences lead to paragraphs lead to page after page of ... garbage! Sometimes, a lot dances onto a page, but it turns out to be less than perfect. In fact, some of what comes out must be rejected. Other material is perfect. What is important is knowing writing, and the creative part of writing, is, as many say time and time again, a process. Sometimes, the only way to think through the bones and details of a story, is to spew out all the garbage and then get to the good stuff. Sometimes, I face the opposite: words or ideas ... do ... not... appear ... at ... all... Think either toothpaste tube with words squeegeeing out or a once-used epoxy tube, which holds back every word or thought possible. So, there I sit, wondering why I call myself a writer.
The creative process is absolutely a process, which means successful creativity can sneak up on you in a flurry, you can be forced to wait on it, and/or you can painstakingly tease it out.
The creative process starts the story. It also runs through various edits. Always, I am layering thoughts and new creations into a story, even as I move through rewrite after rewrite. In general, this is a rather exhilarating aspect of writing for me. I am shaping the story, taking greater control of the words and paragraphs while also embellishing, inserting additional creative touches, and overall improving the written content.
I am also being introduced to new ideas, to the story itself, as it stealthily unfolds for the first time. It is as though I am reading someone else’s new story.
Another exhilarating aspect of editing is gaining input from editors.
These are the professionals who prod me to consider opportunities, possible flaws, and alternatives I might not think of in a million years. They are the outside eyes and internal voices challenging my thought processes, various premises of my story, the purpose of a passage, the congruity or incongruity of a character, etc. Editorial input provides a creative boost that demands I do better or more, and forces me to grow, become a better writer, and deliver a better story.
At this stage, I love my job!
As noted earlier, the creative input can continue to the bitter end, but, at some point, the bulk of my attention turns to details of grammar, proofreading, consistency of style, and fact checks. Have I slipped up and mentioned a detail, which contradicts a revelation from a different point in the story, meaning timing if off? Have I created a scene which is inconsistent with the setting? What about grammar? This is when I turn to professional proofreader(s) and I drive myself nuts.
Truly, after reading with as fine-tooth comb as possible, answering proofreader questions, and rereading time and time again, I find myself questioning even the most basic comma placement. I find myself distrusting my knowledge and ability. Think SELF DOUBT!
This part of writing is torture!
It is mentally draining. I want nothing to do with my manuscript at this point of the writing process. So, for all of you who think writing sounds fun, consider there is also certain drudgery in polishing a story. Do you recall times when you were finishing a term paper? This is the time I must push myself to bring the story over the finish line. This is when I never wish to read the story again. This is when it all seems like a blur and the story is now absolutely boring to me. Then, time comes when I must confirm the story is finished. Until I find typographical errors in printed copies, I can set the manuscript into the “done” pile.
The funny thing is, it takes several months for me to feel I am actually done writing a story. I do not feel immediately free, even though my mind is already churning through ideas for my next novel. I am considering taking a vacation every time I finish a novel. I believe this will cue my brain to the reality of its being time to move on.