Am I writing yet? No. But am I doing better? Yes!
Taking the time away from my writing is not only giving me the rest I need, but also giving me distance from how I write. I started reading through my manuscript that I had developmental edited. I’m thrilled by the style and voice of the story. I had completely forgotten I could write like that. I’m not saying it’s perfect (or done), but I am saying that I can do more than I thought I could.
I wanted a very atmospheric feel. To me, the setting is a character in this novel.
Giving myself rest is allowing me to see my writing in a completely new light. I’m finding new scenes I love in the manuscript and new places to put in character growth, backstory, and some more intense plot points.
They say to let your manuscript sit for 2 weeks to a month. I guess letting it sit for nearly a year since finishing it might have distanced me from it even more.
Next time, I don’t want to take a year to get to this point. 😛
For the future, I think I would get myself to read through it as soon as I get it back. I got lazy with my project after 2 years of writing and rewriting. Well…now I’m almost to 4 years working on this baby. I need to remember that that’s okay. Projects dictate their own pacing. I’ve finished other things within that 4 years as well, I’ve been living my life, and I’m not trying finish by any specific deadline.
What I’m saying is I’m doing better. I’m feeling better about my projects and about my writing.
Happy Writing!
Rachel
Subtle Stories 