Ah, once again I reach the end of this crazy WIP. Oh, the joy. Oh, the rhapsody. Oh, the knowledge that this is not goodbye... but till we meet again. Yes, I know I am "finished." But I am not done. Not by a long shot.
For I see in the ending, a new way to write the beginning, the middle and the end again.
Let me begin by saying that this current WIP has been an interesting journey. I started in February 2009. I wrote the first draft in a week. Yes. You read it here. A WEEK! 50,000 words! I planned for it during a class and prepped for 3 weeks before I hacked out 50K in a week.
I loved my original premise for the story. Loved my own motivation for writing the story. The motivation is what keeps me going. The premise? Well, it's the same, but oh. so. different. in. approach.
You see. It started as a story targeting a specific line for a specific category. A short Contemporary Romance. Now it is morphing into something much more. Not a category. Not a specific line. Not anything more than an exploration of two unique characters.
These characters, my hero and heroine, are why I have battled to save the story. For it's changed. Not just because I am transforming it from a category length to a single title length, but because what began as a fun romp has transformed into a deeper exploration of their psyches. And, therefore, by default, a deeper mining of my own psyche.
Now some of this transformation occurred during a bizarre soul searching period where I revisited my own painful emotional historical landscape. Oh joy. Woohoo. Loved that. All of it brought about by one note. One request. And that forced me to reexamine my past works and realize that I had denied a very important part of ME in the writing.
Oh, time to mine the heart. Thanks to Donald Maass, I realized I had to dig very deep and unveil more aspects of myself than I had intended. Wow. But I did. Now I know those revelations will have to be explored again, earlier in the WIP than they are now.
But they are there!
I can cut and weave them into the story earlier.
I wasn't worried about the sequential unfolding of story as much as I was concerned about the characters revealing even more of themselves to me. Wow, they are so strong, so giving, so proud. I love them and I've decided that even if they aren't marketable, they are special.
By writing their story, I am bringing myself closer to writing better.
And that is the goal of my journey.
Revelation. To. Oneself.
10 comments:
Beautiful post, Christine. There's nothing I can add to it!
Awe, thanks Ellen. There's just something about these two people that has me locked into battle for them. I know I'll be suiting up my armor again, but for now I am glad I am FINISHED laying down the plot.
Now the fun begins.
It'll get there. I'm glad you're following your heart with this one. Great talking to you today!
Wow! What a great post. I think as writers we are never truly finished with a story. Even after we say, "This is the final edit. I'm done."
How long are you letting it sit before opening it again?
Good luck!
Love the new wallpaper. Getting ready for spring?
Hi Everyone--thanks so much for the comments. I am playing with my friend from Canada, but while I am currently out of pocket and playing hooky, my darling daughter decided to update my blog.
She did a fabulous job, didn't she? I am so lucky. Maybe one day I will hire her when I am a famous author--she can be my web mistress extraordinaire.
Martha: I am kind of layering in elements now--so technically not letting it sit on the shelf. I hope to have the bulk of layering done by next Friday. Then I am letting it sit though spring break.
I am excited for you, and so glad you're sharing your progress with us.
I hope to have a similar epiphany with my WIP... but something tells me it will be awhile in coming!
Hi Kate: Thanks! I have been playing a lot with my BF for a few days... but I totally hear you re: the WIP... hang in--keep wrestling it into shape!
Ooo, I love layers! I love adding them to my own work, and always appreciate them in my reading. A multi-faceted novel is my favorite, regardless of the genre.
Hi KarenG: I think that layering in the final elements is the one of the best parts of writing. First on my list is laying down the first draft.
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