Appreciating the Small Things in Writing
20:23
Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn via Foter.com / CC BY
In last week’s writing update post, I was whining about the
unfairness of life and having to rewrite large swathes of material because a
plot point wasn’t working. Which made me incredibly grumpy and not at all
inclined to edit. Well, thankfully, I’m not going to subject you to another
depressing post about how everything is against me. I’ve actually made up all
that lost ground, and then some. At the moment Snow sits at about 26k, and is ticking along at a steady pace.
One thing I’m finding interesting at the moment is my
strange love for the smallest things about my book. A scene where two
characters are goofing around making cookies. A side character only present for
a handful of scenes. A snippet of dialogue. These are the often the things that
I look forward to writing the most, even before the actual main character or
the plot, both of which I do love great. Is it just me, or is it normal to get
invested and greatly look forward to tiny little elements of the book? (Please
tell me I’m not alone in this.)
Small things are important outside of the book, for keeping
me motivated to edit and excited about things to come in Snow. Talking to my sisters, who are all amazing people to brainstorm
with, and explaining what’s going on with the book to them, working on my
Pinterest board, celebrating small achievements with my writing friends, or
even sharing excerpts, have all been giving me the little boosts I often need
to stay focused on writing. Sometimes the smallest things are worth the most.
So that’s where I
stand with my book at the moment. I still feel like I’m not progressing fast enough,
even though I’m on track to be finished by the end of the month at this point,
but every day I try my best, and if it takes me an hour to edit half a scene,
then that’s ok. It’s improving, and that’s what counts the most. And, because I
feel like sharing today, I thought I’d add a little excerpt to this post. This comes
from the POV of Nicola, secondary narrator, and a mutant with aquatic
abilities.
Even in here, with the
air conditioners blasting, there was a touch of the summer heat creeping in.
It’d be a perfect day to be out at the beach, paddling through the breakers,
and maybe catching a few waves while she was at it. Sun, sand, surf, and maybe
a touch of sunburn at the end of the day. An intense longing for life before
broke out inside her. Life before the mutation showed up. Life before
everything went from manageable to downright agony. Right now, she missed being
normal, without the tail and the team. Heh, she might even miss that awful job
at the cafe. The smell of salt, the taste of hot chips, the stinging of sand
blown over her face by the wind. There were so many things she missed about
life before.
Do you ever have little, unimportant things in your book
that you absolutely love? How do you motivate yourself when you’re having a
difficult time? Do you talk about your books with your family, or do you like
to keep it between you and your book?
10 comments
This is so important! It's easy to get bogged down in the grand scheme of things and despair because nothing works, so this can be an effort, but I always try to remember the little things that make it all worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteExactly right, Aimee. Sometimes I even make a list of the little things I like about the book so that I can look at it when I'm having a hard time remembering. The dark nights of a writer are terrible things indeed, aren't they?
DeleteOooh, I loved that snippet! :D *snatches book*
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really needed this post. I've been having a lot of trouble overcoming friction and really digging into my novel this time around, and it was really nice to be reminded of all the small things that give me joy in writing. I love focusing on little thoughts or individual personality traits. I love the secrets and the lies in my story. I love the secondary characters and I love the villains. I love the world I've set it in and the color of the ground and the sky, and yeah, it's nice to be reminded of that.
There are little things outside of my story that I love about writing, like the taste and smell of fresh coffee. I love the sound of typing. I love the music that I've listened to so many times while editing that I can't play it without thinking about my book. Before I moved, I used to talk to my mom a lot about my books, and it was really fun and helpful. I mostly don't talk about my books now, unless I'm talking about them online, but I do need to spend more time talking with my critique partners and beta readers because that would probably be helpful.
Thanks for sharing! :)
I've always found that, when I'm stuck in difficult edits, it can be really hard to remember what I loved about a book. Looking at the little things for a boost is so much easier for me than trying to remember what I loved about the book in general. That's certainly something I can't see when I'm battling a wriggly plot.
DeleteThose are all amazing things Liz. Just reading your list has made me remember a little more what I love about writing myself. You've encouraged me! Thank you!
Small things for me definitely make it worth it - just little interactions between characters. And it doesn't matter whether I'm writing fantasy or contemporary...it's always the characters that make me love the journey :)
ReplyDeleteCharacters are the best, aren't they? I love the fact that, even though you create them yourself, and you often spend years working with them, they still manage to surprise you and make you smile. Thanks for visiting, Emily!
DeleteYou're so not alone! I like small things too, whether it be a certain character quirk or a little personal element or a feelsy scene, I look forward to writing those things. They're things I love the most about my stories. I make myself keep writing because of the endgame. I want to be published and I'm determined to do whatever it takes to get there. Good post!
ReplyDeletestoritorigrace.blogspot.com
Having those little moments to look forward to editing can be so motivation, can't it? I have one of my favourite scenes coming up soon, and I can't wait to get there. The endgame is definitely a big motivator too, though for me I find I have to have specific goals to break that down a bit. Sometimes the big picture is too big! Thanks for stopping by, Victoria.
DeleteYes, yes. *nods* With one of my novels I've been rewriting lately, I've been tempted to give up and throw it away again and again, and the biggest thing that's kept me going is, ironically, the tiny little unimportant details that I love so much. I absolutely get you here.
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes we're tempted to give up on our books because it's hard to see the bigger picture when you're deep in the middle of edits. And maybe that's why focusing on the little things can be the little boost, because it's easy to see little things we like sometimes. Thanks for stopping by, Gemma.
Delete