Feb 6, 2013

The Week

Insecure Writer's Support Group



So.

I don't know if this is an insecurity so much as something that could help me bring down a door, only to wonder if I really should go down that corridor...

But then I don't even know if it's that either, I'm too apprehensive to think of a better metaphor today.

Okay, so I have steadily kept up my progress as touted in a IWSG post a couple of months ago, and after reading a post about small goals (100 words a day) that somehow resonated with me, I unconsciously made the decision to write a little for my WIP a day.

I was pretty surprised to say the least about what has come from this.  While I only expected musings and random dialogue, I discovered an... enhanced beginning, which worried me.  Was I going to change the beginning and cause implications for the rest of the plot?

But upon a Loss vs Gain analysis I realised not everything has to change; cultivating these scenes could actually be the catalyst I didn't realise I was looking for.

So not really a total insecurity, more of an 'assessing the jump and waiting for bystanders to agree that it seems legit' post today.

to be unexpected,
from sjp

Tunes
The Week - Loon Lake
Holy Roller - Thao and The Get Down Stay Downs
Fitzpleasure - alt j

12 comments:

  1. I'm thinking about changing my POV, but I'm in the middle, closer to the end of the first draft, so I'm going to carry on as is and finish the first draft and think on it before I make major changes. Not sure if that helps at all.

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  2. I can understand how that feels. I changed the beginning of my WIP a couple of times and it's still not 'good enough' for me. The only thing to do in a situation like this is to keep on writing.
    Good luck with the WIP! :)

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  3. I've been there too, but if you've gone back and seen something that, now, you think needs changed...maybe there's a reason for that change?

    Great job on meeting your smaller goals, as well :)

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  4. The more I think about it, the more it seems to be the answer to linking the beginning to the middle more plausibly, it deals with all that time I was unsure how to pass. I am definitely looking forward to exploring it now :)

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  5. Follow your heart, you'll know when the beginning is right because you'll glow with satisfaction and excitement!

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  6. I think this is something many writers worry about. "Did I start in the right place?" Sometimes, the amount of work it would take to overhaul a story based on new findings scares us away, especially if the draft is near completion.

    Here's how I've handled this situation. I wrote the new opening and keep the old one, too. Put the project on the back burner for a week, and when I came back to it with fresh eyes, I was able to see which version 'hooked' me. It was the new version and it sent a HUGE ripple through the entire manuscript (which was completed). Changing the beginning was worth the work.

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  7. Worrying about where to start was something that kept me at bay for a while, until I was explaining this dilemma to a friend the other day and realised I have always known where it will start.

    I guess working these new scenes into the early stages should be less challenging as the beginning has never been committed to writing, it has always just been memorised mentally :)

    I suppose that is the idea of drafting, exploring different ways, being flexible to change. Looks like I really am finally doing this wip!

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  8. That's a good thing, even if it may be more work. I recently had a CP told me to start at a new beginning (about 5-6 chapters in). From that suggestion, I created an entire new way to think about the story and characters. True, it'll mean rewriting and updating the book, but it'll be worth it. If you can come out at the end with a stronger book, then that's what needs to be done. :)

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  9. I can see that as a second cousin to insecurity. Good for you! :)

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  10. Sounds like you made progress. Insecurity tends to be part of the equation, it seems. :-)

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  11. Consider this bystander agreeing that it seems legit!

    Sometimes the best way to write is to write the way that works for you. Good luck with your WIP. Don't be afraid to just jump into it.

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  12. I sat it seems legit, too.

    I love the idea of writing 100 words a day. I tend to only sit down and write when I have huge chunks of time. But 100 words? I could do that everday.

    I think, too, if you've found a better way to begin, don't let fear keep you from doing it. Yes, you may have to change more than you want. But what if that change is the best thing for the story? Don't look for ways to change just a little. Look for ways to change just enough.

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