A month has passed and I'm editing my novel! I've been dying to edit ever since I wrote the first draft and now that I can, I'm a little busy with it. Sadly, I can't put as much work into it every day as I'd like since I've also got to go to work, but happily I'm not tired out enough to avoid my own writing. Although, I've discovered that when I've got a novel on the go, I seem to stay stuck with that project and hardly ever branch out into new things like a novella or a short story. I guess it's because I'm so immersed in my own novel and the world revolves around it. It certainly seems that way, but I should also give myself a break and focus on smaller things even when writing novels. I don't want to be just a novel writing author. That's something I've got to fix for myself, nothing nobody else can do about it.
The Flood
My mind is flooded with ideas. I work alone where I work, I stock shoes so my domain is upstairs away from it all. The Bat Cave if you will. Anyway, while moving stuff around and doing my usual tasks, my mind runs away with itself and I start thinking, without really knowing about it, about stories. There's an urban fantasy idea I got and every now and then I get another idea about it, but most recently I picked up a cracking opening situation for a possible novel. What's more, even though I wrote it down the second I broke away for lunch, I didn't need to. The idea stuck around and that tells me that it's a great idea. Usually, ideas tend to get forgotten even if they've been written down, probably because they weren't that interesting. This happens to me all of the time, but when they stick around, you know they're good. Problem is, I'm not quite sure what to do after I write my next novel (I know what I'm writing after I've edited my current one), but I guess that's one of the fun things of writing. You've always got a backlog of stories to get on with.
I'm certain that a lot of my ideas can translate well into a short story, maybe even a novella. Stephen King is a great example of this. 'Different Seasons' is a short story collection of four stories and despite their short length, they feel as big as any novel he could write. Especially 'Apt Pupil' which is terrifying! Sometimes I need to remind myself that novels aren't the only way forward. I'm noticing a new demand for novellas these days, then again they might have always been there, but I've noticed more and more websites that want them. Short stories however are always wanted, which is nice. Speaking of novellas, I'm tempted to upload my novella 'Born Again in Solitude' on this here site every week as episodes. I need to decide if I'd like it to be published elsewhere first, but if not then I'd love it here for you to read if you'd like. I should write more novellas. Like I said, I'll bet lots of my old story thoughts could work as shorter pieces. Why not?
I'm certain that a lot of my ideas can translate well into a short story, maybe even a novella. Stephen King is a great example of this. 'Different Seasons' is a short story collection of four stories and despite their short length, they feel as big as any novel he could write. Especially 'Apt Pupil' which is terrifying! Sometimes I need to remind myself that novels aren't the only way forward. I'm noticing a new demand for novellas these days, then again they might have always been there, but I've noticed more and more websites that want them. Short stories however are always wanted, which is nice. Speaking of novellas, I'm tempted to upload my novella 'Born Again in Solitude' on this here site every week as episodes. I need to decide if I'd like it to be published elsewhere first, but if not then I'd love it here for you to read if you'd like. I should write more novellas. Like I said, I'll bet lots of my old story thoughts could work as shorter pieces. Why not?
Forward into Light
I love editing stories. That's why taking at least a month off between finishing the first draft and editing is so important to me, it means I'm often surprised about the story and I won't have remembered all of it. Fresh eyes are best eyes to revise work and even though I'm not the best person for critical editing, I do my best and I'm learning. The aim is to finish editing this year and start a new piece this winter as well, and despite work tearing me away from my writing, I'll manage all the same. I suspect I'll finish the first edit by the end of the week and then we'll go from there. I learned so much when editing my last book and I'm so proud of what it became after all the work I put into it. That's what I want to do. I want to be a writer. And the only way to do that is to... well, write.
No, dammit! I am a writer.
Songs of the Week:
No, dammit! I am a writer.
Songs of the Week:
- 'Statues' by The Eden Project
- 'Open Window' by MitiS ft. Anna Yvette
- 'Revival' by MaHi
- 'Serenity' by Fracx
- 'The Funeral' by Band of Horses
- 'If You' by Skrux
- 'Another World' by No Limits
- 'Rusted Nail' by In Flames
- 'Through Oblivion' by In Flames
- 'Innocence' by Avril Lavigne
- 'Fall to Pieces' by Avril Lavigne
- 'Who Knows' by Avril Lavigne