My first book, Prescription for Murder, took me almost five years to write and rewrite. And rewrite. And rewrite. I would write for a few months then stop for a few months. Like many writers, I gave in to the demands of life and put my dream of finishing a book on the back burner for long stretches of time.
That book is a mess. It’s full of plot holes, loads of backstory, little conflict, and so much amateur writing that I’d be horrified for any of you to read it. LOL. My second book is a little better. I can see improvement in the way the story flows and in the character development. When I try to dissect what made the difference I can only think that most of the second book was written in a much shorter amount of time. The sections that are written the best are those from my time of writing consistently.
When writing the first book there was no way I could stay deep into the story when I'd go weeks or months between each scene. I lost my groove and when that happens it's hard to write a cohesive story.
I think that’s why I like the above quote so much. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.
What about you? Are you writing consistently? If not--Quit talking about writing--Quit thinking about writing--Start writing!!! You’ll see progress, I promise. :)
Sabrina Fox~
Yes, Sabrina, those hours and hours of practice add up :-) I, too, look at some of my early efforts and shudder.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Sabrina!
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