My mantra for every first draft is, “Let it be bad”. That is what I told myself to get through my first manuscript and I’m still telling myself that on my sixth. I’m excited to get started on this new project and I’m happy with the progress I’ve made this month, but like with anything in writing and creative endeavors, it has serious ups and downs.
Progress
This last month has been a bit of limbo, but I worked on two short stories. I finished one of them and submitted it to an anthology. The other returned to the shelf after I got Project A back from beta readers. I did a quick revision which took a couple of days and that project is now out of my hands.
I am now well on my way to getting into Cut Throat. It is taking a little while to switch from revision to drafting mode. Even though I’ve loved drafting in the past, I’m having difficulty getting back into it. Part of the issue is that I’m going from a really polished draft to the rough ideas. One of the things I love about drafting is how everything starts unfolding before me but it’s rough and I never have all of it figured out before I start. There are so many pieces I’m missing and I’m unsure how much worldbuilding I should do ahead of time and how much should develop in the moment. From the way I’m feeling you’d think it was my first time writing a novel.
I wrote one and a half short stories and a total of 13.5k words which is pretty good for a not very drafting-heavy month.
WTPitch Event
Last month I told you that I got two agent likes on my WTPitches. This month the update is that I got a full request from at least one of them after they reviewed my material. I won’t know if both of them requested since they will just pass my manuscript along if the second one requests it, but at least I know one of them did. I won’t find out whether I’ve been chosen to be a mentee until the end of October which still feels like ages away and as I am putting this querying manuscript on hold until then, it feels even worse.
What I’m Learning
Every step of the writing process has struggles and every step has value. None of the drafts work on their own and it is a constant process to try and turn the book into something better. And in the case of a first draft, turn it into anything at all.
When I drafted my last book, Mushroom Dragon, I was working eight hours less a week. This doesn’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things but it makes a difference having two hours less each day to write, but even more it shortens my writing time block by two hours. It takes a while to get into my stories after stepping away from a while and with the shortened writing times by the time I’ve gotten into the story, it’s time to get ready for work. This will make writing significantly more difficult. It also doesn’t help that I’m exhausted from my day job. But, I must press on since this is what I want to do and the only way to get to my ideal day of just writing is to write my way there.
Leisure
“Why does he write like he’s running out of time, writing at night like he’s running out of time.” Hamilton by Lin Manuel Miranda
I got to see Hamilton last night and it was fantastic. Every time I consume media (good media) ideas abound. I had to work extraordinarily hard to stop thinking about Cut Throat throughout the performance as it sparked ideas for me.
I relate to various characters in Hamilton for different reasons, but the line quoted above has always been a stand out to me. Hamilton and my reasons for writing are a lot different but I believe they stem from the same sort of place. I have goals and aspirations and writing will get me there. It’s a vehicle for both of us, but for me, it’s more than just a process, it’s an end in and of itself. I often feel like I’m running out of time to write and I wish I could write every second I’m alive.
Looking Forward
Cut Throat is the biggest thing on the horizon. Now that Project A is out of the way I can dive into Cut Throat head first. My target for this manuscript is around 95k and though I said I’d like to finish it by the end of the year, I also like to move up my deadlines so I’m hoping to get the first draft done the week before Thanksgiving, that way I can take some time to spend with family without feeling the need to run off and write. This means I need to stay at a consistent 1.7k a day which is a little more than NANO WRIMO speed. This is a lot to ask with the full-time job and everything else in my life, but as I’ve said to many people. I am the worst boss when it comes to employing myself. I am excited and a little bit anxious, because I know Naomi is counting on me to get this done and might be a little annoyed with me if I don’t.
