When I achieve what I call a first draft of a new book—which I have just done—I am flooded with relief. It seems as if a miracle has happened. There have been moments a‑plenty—ask my wife—when I have announced “I can’t do this. It is too hard.” As I approach the end, however, and I realize I am approaching the end, it is as if I were running downhill from a mountain I laboriously climbed. Mind, running that last downhill patch is a dangerous thing. I am willing to go and step anywhere, as long as I reach the bottom. The writing then (out of desperation) is awful. Truly.
Yet, while I call this a first draft, I am reminded of something my friend Natalie Babbitt once said to me: That when she gets stuck, she goes over what she has already ready written. So much easier. And it feels as if she is making progress.
The point is you are making progress. It means that by the time you get to that last page of the first draft, you have gone over the first pages (or more) forty or fifty times, (granted, out of desperation). But you probably have the voice you want, a better sense of character, story, etc.
In other words, one of the best ways of moving forward is being stuck and going back.
3 thoughts on “Running downhill”
That’s exactly how I do it, Avi! Being kinda OCD, I keep close track of my drafts. Usually by the time I get to “First Full Draft” I’m actually on Draft 9, 10, or 11 — and those are just the ones I’ve printed out.
This is encouraging as endings are the most difficult part for me. Running analogy is poignant. It may be dangerous running down hill but it sure is exhilarating. I appreciate the positive twist on being stuck; doesn’t have to be a dead end so much as a detour that leads to seeing something overlooked before. Everything in life is more tolerable when given a healthy purpose. Thank you.
I wish I could just write to finish. Every time, I reread (revise because why not) and sit posed at the keyboard I’m thinking, “Just write what comes to mind. Let the characters speak to you.” But nothing. I’m at the climax of this story and don’t know how to proceed. Last week, I had a revelation. My story deadline is “meh.” As most rejection letters for other manuscripts tell me, “The story was not strong enough.” Neither was this one. I don’t think the readers will care enough. My new challenge is to think about what is my character’s urgent need, and what is the deadline to accomplish this. Is it strong enough that readers will care? Once that comes to mind, I think I’ll be able write to the end and I will celebrate before more revisions take place. For now, I’m still staring. 🙁