If I seem to have been quiet for the last couple of weeks, that’s because I have. No special reason (except perhaps for restarting a Football Manager campaign – something I thought I’d weaned myself off, until I realised that Forest Green Rovers won’t win the Champions League by themselves) but its been one of those ‘lull’ periods you sometimes have; main tasks completed, not inspired to start anything new, lots of distractions.
Sales and reads also seem to have temporarily dried up, which is disheartening, but all the more reason for me to get on with it and return to the next draft of the two novels I have on the go. Both are first or second draft at the minute, and its time to dive back in and do some of that juicy yet painful work where sections get cut out or changed, and new elements come into the film. This is my first time using more of an Alpha Reader system, with comments on plot and structure after the first draft, rather than nearer the end. In theory it prevents me working on sections which will go in the final edit anyway, and will be a more efficient way of working. I’ll let you know.
I’ve mentioned in posts before that I was trying an interesting experiment this time, by deliberately and more -thoroughly planning out the plot (rather than my usual pantsing) for the first book in advance (originally titled Glass Onion but now in need of a new moniker thanks to the movie). Interesting (to me anyway), that I’m likely to need as much re-writing for this ms as for the seat-of-my-pants one, so my theory about saving time by mapping the structure in advance didn’t work at all. Who knew. I need to dive back in though, as the Alpha readers raised some really interesting points, and I need a bit of a rethink. An alteration to the very end means I need to make numerous changes earlier in the narrative, in order to ‘seed’ the plot twist.
One lesson I think I can pass on as a good tip though, is that when you’re low or in a rut, that’s the time that you need to write more than ever. Be it a blogpost, poetry or part of a new work, there is nothing to bring you out of a writing rut better than just writing. So that’s what I’m going to do.
Stay safe,
Kit