Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-schedule"
The Light at the End of the Novel
I used that term the other day on Facebook. I don't claim to have invented it, though I might have, but it struck me as something writers can certainly relate to.
For readers, the sense that a novel we love is ending is a sad thing. We don't want to leave those characters and that place, because we've grown to love the vicarious experience.
For writers, there is some of that, but I'll let you in on a secret: writing is work. Aside from the first novel, where one has all the time in the world to tweak and reword, writing is scheduled. "When can we expect the next installment?" publishers ask. "Here's the second round of edits," the editor writes. And fans say, write, email, and otherwise communicate, "We're waiting for the next book!"
I know not how others write, though I heard one famous author claim that he writes one draft and he's done.
Like I could ever do that!
I might compare my process to papier-mache. I build a frame that has the vague shape of what I want the final product to be. Then I slap on a mess of ingredients that I know can work, though at first it looks pretty darned messy. Then I pinch and poke and adjust until everything makes sense where it is. I leave it for a while, letting the elements set, and then I return to do several additional layers, adding color, highlights, and finishing touches.
I've been in the messy stage for some time now on the next Simon & Elizabeth mystery. At times it seemed like it wasn't going to work, but every author I know has the same experience. There's a point where we almost chuck the whole thing, hating all of it.
And then there's the light. Maybe I've left it for a day or two. Maybe a scene works out that simply wouldn't until now. Whatever it is, I see the light and know that it is going to work, that Simon is himself, that Elizabeth is intriguing, and that the mystery is believable and interesting. For readers, the end of a story might be bittersweet, but for the writer, nothing's better than getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the novel.
For readers, the sense that a novel we love is ending is a sad thing. We don't want to leave those characters and that place, because we've grown to love the vicarious experience.
For writers, there is some of that, but I'll let you in on a secret: writing is work. Aside from the first novel, where one has all the time in the world to tweak and reword, writing is scheduled. "When can we expect the next installment?" publishers ask. "Here's the second round of edits," the editor writes. And fans say, write, email, and otherwise communicate, "We're waiting for the next book!"
I know not how others write, though I heard one famous author claim that he writes one draft and he's done.
Like I could ever do that!
I might compare my process to papier-mache. I build a frame that has the vague shape of what I want the final product to be. Then I slap on a mess of ingredients that I know can work, though at first it looks pretty darned messy. Then I pinch and poke and adjust until everything makes sense where it is. I leave it for a while, letting the elements set, and then I return to do several additional layers, adding color, highlights, and finishing touches.
I've been in the messy stage for some time now on the next Simon & Elizabeth mystery. At times it seemed like it wasn't going to work, but every author I know has the same experience. There's a point where we almost chuck the whole thing, hating all of it.
And then there's the light. Maybe I've left it for a day or two. Maybe a scene works out that simply wouldn't until now. Whatever it is, I see the light and know that it is going to work, that Simon is himself, that Elizabeth is intriguing, and that the mystery is believable and interesting. For readers, the end of a story might be bittersweet, but for the writer, nothing's better than getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the novel.
