I am so far behind that I don’t know where to begin. I have been terribly negligent of keeping up here at On The Write Road and I apologize to those of you loyal supporters who come back to check in on me regularly!
It’s a case of something has to give.
I guess it’s a good sign in a weird way that I haven’t made blogging a priority recently, because instead I’ve been busy trying to keep my head in my book. And time, as usual is the dictator of when and how much. The laundry still has to get done, the dog groomed and walked, the snow tires taken off, and of course there’s always work-work. Something has to pay the bills.
The good news is that now it’s not the book that’s getting pushed out.
I’d say really for the last couple of years, I’ve been struggling. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, per se… but more of a grudging reluctance to push forward. And I never really put my finger on why until I read this little bit of advice by NYT best selling author Jamie Ford.
A few years ago, I took an online writing class at the Gotham Writer’s Workshop (which I highly recommend!) And because of that, I still get their newsletter and check out their website each month. This tiny gem of wisdom came from there.
Jamie Ford was asked about “writer’s block” and said this:
“For me, writer’s block is my subconscious telling me that what I’m working on kinda sucks. And in almost every instance it has something to do with my ending—that my ending isn’t sound, or what I’m writing will ultimately conflict with the directionality of my story. I look at those two areas and figure out what’s not working, cut, go back to the taproot of my story and proceed from there.”
You know how sometimes you can hear something and it just clicks in your brain? And that thing that’s been evading you, lingering there just out of reach, suddenly comes into perfect focus? Well, that’s what happened for me after reading Jamie Ford’s words.
That grudging reluctance to move forward that I mentioned… it’s because what I’ve been working on “kinda sucks”. And certainly not all of it sucks. But I started writing this book six years ago and I’ve learned a lot since then. I’ve read a lot since then. My writing has improved. My taste has become more discerning. And when I go back to the beginning of my book now, I think, “Yuck!”
It’s all about voice. I know I’ve said that before and I’m sure I’ll say it again.
I believe I have all the ingredients I need to make a really good middle grade novel. I want it to be good enough to stick around for years. I know it’s a matter of using just the right amount of each ingredient, stirring it just so, cooking it for just so long. But it’s a delicate process and I’ve still got a lot to do to get it all right.
The other part of what Ford said that spoke to me was, “…go back to the taproot of my story and proceed from there.” So that’s what I’m doing.
I’ll tell you more about it in another installment. Right now, the sun is shining and it’s a beautiful day. I want to go to the park and walk the dog and then find a nice place to park and write (or more accurately, work on that outline :)
