Writing Saturday: U is for Upward

 Toward the end of C.S. Lewis The Last Battle the characters repeat the phrase ‘further up, further in’ several times. Us writers should make this our motto. We should always be moving to a higher level of writing and deeper into our characters.
At times we get discouraged at our writing. We read something we have written and we feel like tossing it out the window or deleting it off our computer. We read someone else’s work and realize that we just aren’t as good; our work doesn’t meet our own expectations for it. Those are times that we need to realize that we are on a journey and we are working ever up, ever in.
It not only takes time to write (like we talked about last week) it takes perseverance for the journey from where are story is to where we want it to be. Sometimes we have to struggle to push the stories quality upward. Sometimes we need help, but don’t give up. You can do this! You just have to keep moving further up and further in.
Sometimes our characters feel flat and lifeless. That is when we have to move deeper in. We have to discover who they are at the core of their beings. What is their biggest fear in life? What has been their greatest victory? We have to move further up, further in.
Do you feel ready to tackle you story again?  I know I am.  I plan to work hard to make my story even better. When I get discouraged, I will just remember to keep going…
Further Up, Further In.