This week in Writing:
Chapter One
Welcome to this week in Writing. Ya’ll know I’m always trying to find ways to hold myself more accountable to my writing, and this new series is one of those ways. It’s fitting that this is beginning of a new series, as I’m now reworking the beginning on my draft. I’ve entered this new head space, where I look at my book as less of a finish concrete novel, and more of a draft of something that will be great. It’s not great now, but it’s not terrible. I just need to take the necessarily steps to make it baby and it’s all about baby steps. Do you see a theme here? I’m a baby writer with a baby draft.
Starting from the beginning has always been a big fear of mine. When I finished my draft, I thought this was it, I’m done, getting an agent is just an edit away. Now I know that that’s just not the case. I’m more a thousands and one edits away from being able to query an agent, and that’s okay. It’s actually the way it should be. I would love to snap my fingers Thanos style and skip all of the rereading and sentence adjusting, and scenes changes, but that’s a dream. If I want my story to be better, I have to write a better story.
Getting over that mental hump was a big step for me. Since accepting it I’ve started to put more physically writing work into my novel everyday. YAY. What that looks like for me is getting up an hour earlier and writing before work. I make my tea, sit at the kitchen counter, and sip and edit. It’s not quite habit yet, and I still have to really work just to get out of bed, but I’m feeling proud of myself.
This week I also meet with a friend and member of my writing community. We were troubling shooting each other work. Specially looking at the first chapter of our drafts. We read each other first chapters and then talked out it. Her chapter was amazing by the way. We spoke on where we wanted to go, talked about suggestions to think about. It’s crazy how just thinking of you work in a new light can change everything or be a spark to a whole new way of writing. Simultaneously I’ve been reading a lot of books lately and I’m taking extra care when reading the first chapter. How different authors start, how they pull you in. What they do to get you to chapter too. What they set up to later expand and grow upon. I’m trying to plant seed in this chapter, but do it purposely.
My Weekly Takeaway.
To write a better book I have to be a better writer. I need to take steps to improve my writing constantly, whether that’s discuss writing with a writing community, reading to study what other authors do or just writing and rewriting till it’s right. Now I have to make it a habit. Starting with this series. What did writing look like for ya’ll this week? Tell me in the comments below, then go create something.
