Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Where Everybody Knows Your Name


I finally did it. I completed my first full revision yesterday and it feels great. It’s like returning to your favorite tavern—realizing how much you missed and enjoyed it. When I first wrote this novel, it was without a thought to fix, promote or possibly publish it. The discipline to write without worrying about editing is what drove the story. I can honestly say it wrote itself. Sometimes I felt like my fingers struggled to keep up with the intertwining characters and plot as I pounded away at the keys trying to make that 30 day deadline of 50,000 words. That was the main goal.

Now after sitting down with my novel again, reintroducing myself to the characters and experiencing the story after a lapse of time, it made me realize the dream could become reality. At times, I even reread lines asking myself, “Did I really write that?”! And then there were sentences I read and asked myself, “Were you drinking when you wrote that?” Overall, I’m proud of the characters and story I created, which isn’t something I normally say when it comes to my writing. I’m critical of the words I link together, along with being critical of other writers. Not so critical of the grammatical errors as I am of the character and plot—texture and flavor of a story.

But I arrived to the point in my novel where I sighed with satisfaction—an unplanned journey that I hope in time many will read—where everybody knows my name.

8 comments:

  1. Awesome! And congrats!

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  2. Yeah for you! I know that feeling. "I so did not write this" & I also know the line I DID write while drinking :) tee hee
    Go you!

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  3. Congrats on the novel, Bea.

    I shall follow you soon :)

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  4. June, Thanks so much. It's friends like you that help raise the self-confidence in 'us' unpublished writers. I appreciate the support

    Rizal, Thanks much. I hope to hear something soon from you.

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  5. Hooray! I'm sure your hard work will pay off, Bea. It's exciting and motivating for me to follow your post-NaNo journey! I love your blog title accompanying this post and I'm sure one day that will be the case.

    *Cheers* to you for your accomplishment, my friend. :D

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  6. Hi Denise,

    Caught your note over on linkedin (see it does work!) and thought I'd pop over to your blog and say hello, invite you to come visit me and see what you're working on.

    "..I arrived to the point in my novel where I sighed with satisfaction—an unplanned journey that I hope in time many will read—where everybody knows my name."

    Every artist can picture that day but to quote a mentor of mine, don't look too far down the road that you miss what is write in front of you (yes write). I often get caught up in one project and others suffer - sometimes its a good thing to have several fires burning, that way when one slows down you can hop to another.

    best,
    rory

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  7. Hey Barb! It’s wonderful to hear that my journey is motivating and exciting you for your own. Thank you, my friend.

    Hello Rory, LinkedIn does really work! Thanks for stopping by.

    Thanks for the advice. I actually have other writing projects going on, and hope something comes out of one of them. Take care.

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