Friday, March 9, 2012

Revisiting Old Work

I've written a lot of words over the past four years. Some will never see the light of day, while others have potential.

In an attempt to distract myself (while at the same time reigniting my writing habit, which slipped a bit during February revisions), I looked back at some of the works I've abandoned in the past year. Surprisingly, one of them called out to me, and after a stimulating walking conversation with my darling spouse last night, I came to the story with fresh eyes and a new plan. I do most of my story planning verbally, and for some reason, walking seems to prime the pump.

Usually, I write in order: I try not to jump around in a story, because I've done that in the past and found that it was awful when it came time to put the tale together. But I discovered that the work I'd already done on this idea fits better in the middle of the book rather than the beginning.

So I sort of started over today. And, amazingly, I wrote over two thousand words. It's a good feeling to be grooving, and I am excited to see where this story takes me.

While I'm working on this new/old idea, I'm also revising my NaNo attempt from last fall. In April, I'll be attending a plot workshop with this manuscript, and I really want to get it ship-shape and ready to send to Kat. But while I polish and pluck and play, I need to be generating new words and worlds: that's just who I am. I am happier when I am crafting a new story, and I need to remember this. Once again, it's all about juggling my time.

But right now, my brain is mush. Time to curl up on the couch and read somebody else's book.

Happy Friday, blogosphere. What ideas are captivating you today?

2 comments:

  1. It's great when you are motivated to work on old an old story idea. It's like revisiting an old friend. I think it's interesting you have to talk out your stories -- I usually hit a point where I just need to write everything down brainstorming style. Sometimes I'll talk stuff out with my hubby, but usually it's not plot related... more why did you do this/that/what about this? But that process can help crystallize things about the story for me or identify trouble areas.

    Happy writing!

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    1. Thanks! This project is more like an old frenemy, but I'm really enjoying giving it a second look. It's interesting how different tricks work in different ways: I do written brainstorming throughout a project, but it never seems to do as much good as a rousing literary discussion with my sweetie. Enjoy your weekend!

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