A few days ago, on the 14th to be exact, I started editing my novel, 'We Lived As Ghosts' . I love the editing process to death, just as much as the writing. Knowing that all of these words are as fragile as the ones that came before, and constantly questioning if passages could be written better, deleted or made longer is endlessly enjoyable and it never feels like work. If it did, I wouldn't be doing it. However, when editing, I can't help but remember the time when I was writing it during those two or three months it took to get the first draft finished. And the same questions kept popping in my head, questions I knew the answers to, but still kept wondering about all the same. Why the hell would I put myself through this much effort with something that may never be seen by anyone other than myself? Because, god help me, it's fun.
A Monument to Your Work
I've said this before in a previous blog, 'Ghosts' is heavily inspired by my college life, except all of the truth has been replaced with supernatural things and lots and lots of snow. In the early months of last year I tried to write it without much prep-work or any idea where the story might go, and I suffered for it. I gave up about five chapters in realising that this was way over my head. I wasn't ready for it. I still had another novel to edit and my heart was set on rewriting another which I'm massively proud of. Once I was ready and had laid out tons of notes, I felt ready to tackle 'Ghosts' again, only this time I stuck with it. It took me about two and a half months to finish my first draft and the end result was little more than 100,000 words. Closing my laptop and stretching, I couldn't believe that this... pokey little writer managed that. And what's more, it was bloody good fun. Not to say none of my other novels haven't been, because they have, I look back on those pieces with a great amount of affection I hope I can publish one day, but 'Ghosts was not only my longest story and most complex, but it was an evolution in my writing. And I owe it to Stephen King.
Mr King emphasized the importance of story over plot in 'On Writing', and ever since I read that book I've been obsessing over it. I'm a firm believer in finding what works for you, but so much of Stephen King's advice makes sense to me. With 'Ghosts', not only was I determined to actually finish my second attempt at this story, but to trust myself to let go of planning. Yes, I made loads of notes about characters, the college, possible story threads and quotes, but I ignored a lot of them. I abandoned plotting chapter by chapter, and instead let the story tell itself. With every finished chapter, I wrote the next heading and wrote in italics what I think might happen next, and then leave it alone for the next writing session. Next time, I read through the last chapter, read the italics and continue writing. Sometimes the story goes where I suspect it will, and other times it doesn't. I can't tell you how surprised I was when writing it. 'Oh,' I'd say. 'That character did that!?' It's so satisfying when you surprise yourself when writing. 95% of 'Ghosts' was story rather than plot, and I'm not going back to plotting anymore. 'Ghosts' taught me to have faith in the story I'm writing, and that I don't need to use plot points as safety nets. If you're idea is strong enough, it's going to go far. As long as you let it.
Mr King emphasized the importance of story over plot in 'On Writing', and ever since I read that book I've been obsessing over it. I'm a firm believer in finding what works for you, but so much of Stephen King's advice makes sense to me. With 'Ghosts', not only was I determined to actually finish my second attempt at this story, but to trust myself to let go of planning. Yes, I made loads of notes about characters, the college, possible story threads and quotes, but I ignored a lot of them. I abandoned plotting chapter by chapter, and instead let the story tell itself. With every finished chapter, I wrote the next heading and wrote in italics what I think might happen next, and then leave it alone for the next writing session. Next time, I read through the last chapter, read the italics and continue writing. Sometimes the story goes where I suspect it will, and other times it doesn't. I can't tell you how surprised I was when writing it. 'Oh,' I'd say. 'That character did that!?' It's so satisfying when you surprise yourself when writing. 95% of 'Ghosts' was story rather than plot, and I'm not going back to plotting anymore. 'Ghosts' taught me to have faith in the story I'm writing, and that I don't need to use plot points as safety nets. If you're idea is strong enough, it's going to go far. As long as you let it.
Making Miracles
I said I wrote 100,000 words, and 'Ghosts' was my longest story. I know both of those things are meaningless when it comes to editing. Long stories don't always make great stories, and there's always room for improvement. When writing it, I was well aware of the inconsistencies I'd made, but correcting those small things was a time for editing, not writing. I wanted to scroll back and make adjustments, but editing and writing require different minds. I've read about some writers who can't move forward until their happy with the last chapter, but I couldn't do that. For me, writing is all about getting the story down, and yes, there will be things to mend. I tackle those when I edit the story, not before. After finishing the first draft, I wait a month to do other things and never go back until that month's gone by. It's hard to stay away sometimes, but it's worth it when you return to that first draft and discover so much to change. I can't tell how many times I've wondered why the hell I wrote a certain sentence when I could have written it better or not at all! However, after combing through a few drafts, you can look back on a finished product and feel happy that you created something as good as you could make it. When I finish any project no matter how small, I just ask myself one question: am I happy with it? If not, then I'm not finished. I go back, work on it and ask again until I can say, 'Yes, I am happy.' That's what I do.
So, why the hell would I put myself through this exhausting process over and over again? The answer remains the same: it's fun. Yes, I hope that one day I can make writing my job, but I hope it never feels like work. Work to me is what you do to make ends meet, make money and survive. Writing is a dream job, and it should be appreciated every day. I'm so thankful I have the time I have to write as well as work during the day, a job I quite like. But writing is all I've ever really wanted to do, and if I can make it a full-time dream, then I'll be the happiest guy, ever. The thing is, despite all the disappointment we feel with writing and trying to get published in whatever writing circle we favour, the entire process is an addictive thing, if not exhausting, full of self-doubt and brief flashes of genius. Take all of that and examine its core, you'll find that nothing beats it, and it's worth it when you get any degree of success. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Songs of the Week:
So, why the hell would I put myself through this exhausting process over and over again? The answer remains the same: it's fun. Yes, I hope that one day I can make writing my job, but I hope it never feels like work. Work to me is what you do to make ends meet, make money and survive. Writing is a dream job, and it should be appreciated every day. I'm so thankful I have the time I have to write as well as work during the day, a job I quite like. But writing is all I've ever really wanted to do, and if I can make it a full-time dream, then I'll be the happiest guy, ever. The thing is, despite all the disappointment we feel with writing and trying to get published in whatever writing circle we favour, the entire process is an addictive thing, if not exhausting, full of self-doubt and brief flashes of genius. Take all of that and examine its core, you'll find that nothing beats it, and it's worth it when you get any degree of success. And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Reunion' by M83
- 'Midnight City' by M83
- '3 Speed' by Eels
- 'Susan's House' by Eels
- 'Last Stop: This Town' by Eels
- 'Flyswatter' by Eels
- 'Sleep Better' by Pete Yorn
- 'Whereabouts Unknown' by Rise Against
- 'Haunted' by Taylor Swift
- 'Take' by The Lupins