Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Writing Revival

Two weeks ago, I was on fire—editing-wise. Last week, I was in a rut—writing-wise. Sometimes as a writer, you get burned out; you need a break. I’m on a break—a sabbatical from writing. I feel a little stupid doing this right now when I promised myself I would get through another edit by the end of December. I should be able to stay strong to my goals; but alas, I need a vacation away from my daunting manuscript, even if it just for a week of two. But the break is not necessarily a break from writing; it is a period of time to learn more about writing. I want to hone in my skills of writing, so I can revitalize myself out of my I-am-the-worst-writer-in-the-world rut. I’ll be better equipped to write and edit. In order to accomplish my said sabbatical from writing, I purchased two books to educate me further in the writing craft.

Book #1 – “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print” by Renni Browne and Dave King (no relation to me)

Book #2 – “38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes: (And How to Avoid Them)” by Jack M. Brickham

I’ve read almost half of Book #1. It has opened my eyes to ingenious ways to polish my manuscript. Book #2 is on its way snail-mail, but I am eager to lay my hands on it, mark it up, and apply what I learn from it to my editing and future writing.
Anyway, writing is so not easy. Sometimes you need to take a break to get through it. And then you come back with the fire burning—really bright—again. Perhaps, I'll make my goal to finish another edit by the end of the year. Maybe I won’t. But at least with this little writing revival, I'll come back with more enthusiasm to write.

4 comments:

  1. You are awesome - even when your having a break your not really having a break. Such a determined gal. Keep at it and great things will happen. I just know it.

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  2. Awe thanks. It has been way long since I've seen you. I see Brandon all the time. Ok, you are such a cute pregnant woman and Peter is adorable. No wonder you can't stop posting pics of him.

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  3. Hey, thanks for visiting my blog, Julia! Good luck with the editing! Good books can be so helpful. I feel like I'm getting a second education as I research this whole writing thing. And I love it! Glad you do, too.

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  4. Krista - you are so correct. Writing is like a second education. I graduated with a Bachelors in Anthropology a year and a half ago without any idea that I would be aspiring to be an author. Now, I am learning so much about writing. It is beautiful. BTW - thanks for following my blog.

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