This post is approximately 450 words. Many of them rewritten.
There are as many analogies about writing as there are fish in the sea. Today’s thalassic comparison will liken writing to lacing up a shoe.
This is a simile I’ve been thinking about as I’m taking the first draft of my manuscript and tightening up the writing.
No, let’s try that again.
As I’ve been editing the writing in my first draft, I’ve felt like I’m tightening up loose shoelaces.
Better, but room for improvement.
As I’m editing my first draft, I often feel like I’m tightening loose shoelaces.
Ahhh, much better.
Writing a post like this is great because it allows me to show the evolution of the writing, literally as I’m writing it. Well, not exactly literally, but you get the point. And I digress.
I’m currently working on the second draft, which means I’m reading a lot of bad writing. That’s fine and was expected. Sometimes that first draft text is just stream-of-consciousness stuff or the channeling-of-the-muse-that-conveys-information-faster-than-I-can-type stuff. It’s loose, much like a shoe that first time your feed laces through the eyelets.
Try again.
It’s loose, much like a shoe as you feed the laces through the eyelets the first time.
Satisfied?
It’s loose, much like a new shoe receiving its first lace.
OK, I could do this all day, but I don’t want to lose your interest. You could wear the shoe like that – laces untied and flopping about – and to be honest, I often did as a kid. But slack laces are no good for running and other shoe-related activities. The same is true for a loose manuscript. Right now, I’m tripping on things all over the place. I also have to move at a slow pace. If I tried to share this with a reader – even my forgiving wife – the story would fall flat on its face because I didn’t take the time to properly edit and rewrite it. Continue reading
It’s been a few weeks since my 
But there are holes. Flat characters and scenes. I expect there’s a bunch of garbage to purge, as well as scenes that contradict each other. That’s fine and was anticipated. Unlike that foolish youth I used to be, I understand that your first draft is not your only draft. Stephen King’s rule of thumb is to cut 10% of your first draft here. For those of you who like math, that’s a 9,200-word removal, or 2-3 chapters.
Upon your return to the computer, the black reality sets in. There’s nothing. No inspiration at all. In fact, there are days where I’ve been certain that banging my head against the keyboard would produce better prose than the barely-coordinated tapping of my fingers.
In my own story, I was looking to create another advisor for Tildy, someone to serve as a counterpoint to the witch, Tildy’s adoptive mother. I also wanted a way to have Tildy work through some of her own concerns without always relying on inner monologue. I didn’t want to add another companion on their journey, but if the advisor was also a secret, this could lead to future conflict. When I recalled Mimulus, I knew I had the inspiration I needed.
The writing was broken into smaller chunks. I’ve found my frequency increasing, which means I’m finding more opportunities during the day to sit down and do some writing, even if it’s only a few dozen words. Additionally, since the first draft is nearly done, I’m filling in some small holes (e.g. transitions, intro paragraphs, and conclusions). I’d previously been equating progress to the number of marathon writing sessions I’d have. Lesson learned.
It’s getting easier. Not that I know much about working out, but we all know that exercise increases strength and endurance. The same is true for your brain, as well as those nimble typing fingers. I’m quite certain I’m not the first to say something like, “The more you write, the more you write,” but it’s true. Over time, you’re changing the way your brain works, which is both awesome and somewhat unnerving. And perhaps an idea for an interesting short story.
I’m having fun. It’s feeling less like work, which is great because this novel is like a part-time job where I’m not getting paid…yet. I’m getting up early and staying up late. I’m investing so much of my personal time that, were this to feel like a slog of a job, I’d probably never complete the thing. To be a couple hundred hours into this project and having more fun each day, well, I think that says something about the subject matter, as well as the improvements to my work ethic.
The Lost Royals 