A teacher's ramblings on writing, music and the wider world.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

Hacking and Slashing

What a liberating feeling!  A few days ago I was dreading the task of decimating my WIP; now backspace has become my favourite button on the keyboard.  I am one of those people who stringently checks the word count, satisfied with each new milestone - every hundred when I'm really dragging, and every thousand most other times.  As I type this, I strangely have in my head the picture of someone who is dieting stepping onto the scales numerous times every day, with hope of catching a moment when their weight is less than it was before.  This is what my writing life has come to.

While now somewhat deflated by the much-reduced word count, I feel as though a great evil has been purged and I am ready to press on forth!  Well, not quite - the cutting is still in full swing (pun intended) although the end is nigh.

On a semi-related note, the short story that blossomed into a novel idea has been plaguing my thoughts so heavily that I had to write the second chapter.  Am I committing a naughty?  Or is it wise to write what is foremost in the mind?  Either way, I am in desperate need of discipline.  I'm off to read some other bloggers' thoughts on such things.

Sharpening blades (not real ones...) and giving grades,
Luke

2 comments:

  1. I thought revising would hurt, but I've found cutting is quite fun. One of the good thing about cutting is that it can open up space to insert things you realize should be in there. Simple tidying (as opposed to wholesale revision) -- getting rid of words like 'just' and 'that' does wonders for your story.

    As for working on the new piece...tough one. If it feels like it just has to be written, then you're well-served to get it out. Just beware that it's not a way of procrastinating. I suspect there are a lot of writers out there who always have something new started, and never finish anything.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I definitely relate to the 'deflated' feeling when I watch my word count drop. The way I try to keep myself disciplined is by aiming for a certain word count growth every day, but this backfires when I'm editing. It's a good feeling to redirect a story on a better track though, or finding all of my 'ly' words and trim them, even if it does mean a few steps back on my word count. Happy cutting!

    ReplyDelete