No post last week because of this little Nugget that is now in our lives:
This week though I want to talk about how my revision is going so far. I’m currently in my first read through of my novel after taking a significant break. I started my revision in June, and really having touched it since the end of that month.
The first read through of Magick Forest is going well, although very slowly. I thought I’d fly through it as I love my story a lot. However, I forgot one crucial thing. I am a VERY slow reader. I am learning to come to terms with my pace. While drafting for me is often a very speedy process, it is perhaps fitting that revision is the opposite — slow and mindful.
It’s hard to take things slow with a creative project when you see so many others catapulting forward with theirs. But then you speak with somebody else who has the same experience and frustration with being slow, and anxieties seem to quiet down.
It took Victor Hugo 12 years to write Les Misérables, Margaret Mitchell took 10 years to write Gone With the Wind, Junot Diaz took 10 years to write The Brief, Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, and Michael Crichton took 8 years writing and researching Jurassic Park!
Whether a cult classic or part of literary canon, books take time. Yes, the current trend of entertainment fiction is to push a novel out in a year. But, it’s okay to learn my process and take my time. I am not on the radar of current entertainment fiction. If this book doesn’t get published, nobody will care how long it took to write and revise. So why should I care how much time it takes?
I’m doing this for the FUN of writing. The FUN of the storytelling. The FUN of the art. Not to race through and finish it. I must learn to take my time, find a way that is fun for me, and be as creative as I feel I would like to be.
Do you feel pressured to finish your creative pursuit? Do you feel like you’re going too slow with your writing? I know I’m not alone.
Happy Writing!
Rachel
Subtle Stories 