Kill Your Darlings

I did it. I really did it. Sort of. I finished chapter 1 or the prologue; I'm not sure exactly. Either way I finished something. That was hard. But not as hard as editing. My paper bleeds with red ink and screams with every mark. Or perhaps that is me screaming. Paragraphs I thought were so good, so witty, so... readable; have been slaughtered, butchered even for their disappointing performance.




Perhaps I should compare this process to the chef in the kitchen, with his fine knives and fragrant spices rather than to his neighbor the butcher who wields his cleaver through flesh and bones and reeks of death.

As I read through my work, it really does feel like the butcher wrote it. Huge slabs of meat coated with curtains of fat hanging on hooks. You know what it is and you know it has the potential to taste good, but it is still a slab of raw meat. Now I have my chef hat on and I am taking that slab of meat and trimming the fat. Tenderizing the flesh and seasoning to taste.

Fire up the grill, I think it will be delicious.

Once Upon A Time . . .

It truly is a work in progress. I am happy to say that I have been working on chapter 1 this week. This is tough. Much tougher than the outlining and planning I must say. I have the events laid out, the characters involved, interactions and outcomes; all the creative ideas that give the story meat.

Now I have to write. Not only write but write in such away that will portray everything I want to convey to the reader. You know actually tell a story.

I have no idea what I am doing.

I am not a trained writer. I was a Kinesiology Major in college and all my writing during that time consisted mostly of lab reports and technical essays. I don't even remember the last writing course I ever took. Everything, if anything, I know about writing is from reading novels, listening to writing pod casts, reading other blogs, tip sections, tool sections, wikipedia and cracker jack boxes.

I am tangled in a web of literary conundrums, weaved from lack of training - I stutter and choke on the technicalities of my writing: Do I want to describe the character right out or through an action they are performing. Is it important to tell the reader what the character is feeling right now. Am I over describing this part or that part. Did I mention this or that at the right place. Can I say it like this or should I say it like that. Is this word better than that word. Am I really doing a good job on this scene or is it just so well viewed in my minds eye because I know it?

Are these questions and concerns born of self-doubts personal in nature or do all authors teeter on the edge of insanity? I think perhaps the latter; only the insane would venture on such an endeavor.

As to my actual current progress, I am on chapter 1. It is actually more of a prologue. I was stuck on a small section for awhile when a fisherman comes across or rather is trapped by the antagonist. I was not stuck for lack of ideas, rather ideas on how to describe it. Now that I am past the sticking point I hope to have chapter 1 / prologue finished this weekend and have it posted for viewing next week.

Another positive note; I feel that my actual writing style a word usage and sentence structure has really begun to improve and I am excited to see what I can do.