Let it Snow

I need a snow day really badly. One where I can take the day off and just write my little brain out. I have a good start on the contemporary paranormal (almost a chapter) and that helped to clear out the historical cobwebs. It’s amazing how switching genres can help you see flaws easier. I went back to an older novel Wedded to the Enemy (Okay, older in the sense that I finished it this past August) and was looking at the proposal. I realized that I was guilty of over-editing. I edited the plot and voice right out of it. :loser: When I went back to a raw, rougher version, the heart was still there. So I decided to keep the rough version and lose the polished one. Interesting. Never thought I’d do that, but there you go.

I keep struggling with this book for several reasons. One, I absolutely adore the voice. It’s me, 100%. When I wrote this story, I poured my heart into it, and I truly want this book to sell. It’s incredibly special to me. The problem is, I took a wrong turn at the midpoint, and the book started unraveling. I forced myself to write through it, deciding I’d figure it out later. Problem is, I finished the book and never really solved the problem.

I’m taking some time to write out all the character goals, the plot threads, etc. etc. to see if I can find out where I went off course. I don’t think it will require major surgery or transplants; but I do think the book will need a bit of an overhaul. I know I can do the revisions, but it’s very much like picking out the threads of a cross stitch sampler when you miscounted.

This is not helping me in my goal to pick up speed with the writing. I need to get it right the first time. I thrive under pressure, especially deadlines. On the day I promised myself I would not get up from the chair until I finished writing the book, I wrote 26 pages.

I think this may be my problem. I need to impose a deadline with a consequence, either positive or negative. Of course, if a certain publisher wanted to impose a deadline, that would be fine, too.

So do you thrive under pressure, or do you prefer working at your own speed?