You'd think after writing four books, I'd have my process
nailed down. Yet with my current book, I'm learning so much. Yes, I'm still a
Seat-of-the-Pants writer, but there are nuances to it just as there are with
plotting.
Here are some of my latest discoveries at the halfway point
in this novel:
1. Having a passion for my story is
essential to writing it.
There are two camps out there:
A) Those who say you can't
wait around for inspiration. It's all about just doing it.
B) Those who say you
can't write when you don't feel inspired.
I don't belong to either camp. True inspiration, or vision
as I like to describe it, isn't about feelings. It's about direction and
passion for the story.
Unlike my futuristic novels, my latest
work-in-progress is a contemporary. It was conceived while attending a series
of meetings at my church. Quite frankly, it scared me silly because I didn't
know how I'd ever pull off such a story.
I wrote a single page and then didn't write another word for
months. Maybe I was hoping it would go away, but it didn't. Part of me ached to
write it, but I held back. What was wrong with me? After taking a long, hard
look at my situation, I discovered:
A) Every book I'd
written before caused the same reaction in the beginning. This wasn't anything
new.
B) I overcame the
fears by trusting the Lord and diving into the manuscript.
2. Before I start each session, I pray.
I've done this before, but wasn't as consistent as I'd like.
This time, I'm leaning heavily on His direction. Is He dictating the words? No,
of course not, but He is giving me ideas for scenes and subplots.
Again, I look back and see how God helped me get through the
writing of the first four books. This one is no exception. He will give me the
strength, ideas, and anything else I need to make it to The End.
Writers: How do you
get past the fear element of a big project, whether a long article or a book?
Readers: We all face
major projects, whether it's writing a book or working on a home renovation.
How do you get from the "want to" to the "doing?"
Photo Credit: svilen001