I spent most of Sunday working on Chapter 17. This is the second draft, so the work was fleshing out the narrative details, making sure the action added weight to the emotional changes of the characters, and honing the dialog to be as crisp and short as possible.
By the end of the day, I was happy with what I had done.
Until I went to bed.
I crept under the covers, snuggled into my pillow, and felt the delicious tug of Dream pulling me under. And then, just then as my mind was straddling the two worlds, I realized that Chapter 17 was all wrong. No, of course he can’t see that yet. It’s too early. She can see it, but she thinks she’s the only one. They are still very much in the dark about each other. The chapter is completely wrong.
Yesterday I spent most of the day totally rewriting Chapter 17. Again.
Was Sunday’s work a waste? I used to think so. I used to get very upset when I would “waste” a day or a week going off on a plot tangent or approaching a scene from the wrong point. Nowadays, I just mutter a little and get back to work. I think I have to test out my characters, sometimes following them down the wrong path, to get to know them better and to measure the fabric of the story.
The magic moment between Wake And Sleep is when it is easiest to see.
2008 Resolution Tracker
Week 2 – Miles Run: 21, YTD: 41
Week 2 – Days Written: 7, YTD:14
Only 50 weeks to go!
How are your resolutions holding up?