Doesn't matter where you are in the country, likely it's darn hot right about now. Dog days of summer. Me? I like it hot. I HATE the humid part, but I would rather be hot than cold. Not as much as I used to, but it still holds true.
In the midst of all this hot, hot, hot, tempers flare, frustration seems insurmountable and yet determination rules. I'm bound and determined to get through my rewrite of Living Canvas and I have to tell you, rewriting a weak story is like chewing on glass. This has been one of the most painful writing experiences of my life! Normally, when I get an idea for a story, I plod through it chapter by chapter. The writer's angst kicks in somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 the way through, but then I push past to the end and it's just editing from there. On the rewrite, I'm struggling with what I wrote the first time (the things that didn't work) and what works better. Sound advice is that you shouldn't fall so in love with your own writing that you cling to the bad parts. There are some phrases that I'm particularly proud of that just don't fit the rewrite, and that's a struggle. There are also some tweaks to characterization that I need to keep consistent with. This INCREASES the writer's angst, because many times I'm sure I'm wasting my time and this story is just beyond all hope; however, I'm determined to finish it.
On the procrastination front, I have put The Treasure of St. Paul back on my plate to distribute as an ebook for the standard readers (Kindle, ibooks, Nook). That should be relatively painless, and yet it requires concentration and time to assess prior to redistributing. I'll let you know when you can get your electronic version :-)
And so it goes -
Today, in between writing sessions, I'm going to see the new and final Harry Potter movie with my son. He grew up reading the books, and I read them right behind him. Bittersweet that it's the last one. It's the last piece of childhood I can share with my now young man.
So back to work - there's a lot left to do on Living Canvas and it ain't gonna get done without me.
