Wednesday, July 6, 2011

In the meantime, the in-between time

So...I'm feeling a bit restless. I finished my current WIP and am currently putting it through its paces with the critique group, and while I have ideas swirling about my head none of them are strong enough to warrant spending the next six months and countless hours molding them into a passable shape. I've written a query letter, done some editing on it, identified some revisions I'll make when I do my next major revision, and dabbled around with the various story ideas.

Over the holiday weekend I made the mistake of picking up City of Bones, which had been on my bookshelf for a couple of months while I was deep in the throes of writing, and lost the rest of the weekend to City of Ashes and City of Glass. Clare is an incredible world-builder, and I was just another helpless victim who fell for Jace's charms. I know better than to pick up City of Fallen Angels right now (but don't think I won't soon, I can't resist such a pretty face for too long).

I'm so used to driving forward that I feel a little lost without any specific forward momentum. So I'd like to know: what do you do between major writings and revisions?

7 comments:

Tere Kirkland said...

That's when I usually pick apart something old I've written and see if there's anything useful amongst the wreckage. Or revise something old. Or I start brainstorming something new. I've always got something I'm working on, and if I don't, I'm reading like a fiend.

So I think you're doing just fine! :)

Bethany Elizabeth said...

I'm sort of a 'work on a dozen stories at once' kind of person - with one story as my main WIP, usually - so most of the time I always have something else to work on. But I feel like maybe you should just indulge yourself. Read. Pump up the creative juices. It sounds like you need some absorbing time before you tackle more work. :) I'm not exactly an expert, but that's my advice. :)

Lola Sharp said...

I watch movies and TV series on NetFlix, get out, hang my friends, READ, read, read, make notes and do a little research for whatever I'm going to write next, read some more, watch more movies, do household chores I've put off, maybe even redecorate/paint/organize a room.

CONGRATS on finishing your first draft. :)

I've been away on vacation for 2 weeks and rarely online (before that I was very sick for nearly 2 months and also rarely online), so I apologize for being a bad bloggy/writer friend and not visiting lately.
(in fact, I'm still in Disney..but it's so freaking hot today, I left husband and daughter in hollywood studios and came back to our room to chill by the pool. But, I haven't made it to the pool yet, because A) the AC feels so damn good and B) I stopped in to say hello to you. :)

We'll be home Monday (I'm ready to get back to my real life) (even though I am booked solid all summer), and I hope to be a little better blogger. :)

Huggles,
Lola

CATHY CHAPATY said...

I do something--anything--to get my eyes and mind off the WIP: pull weeds, watch a movie, work out, walk the dogs, get together with friends. I've had to learn that putting something to the side is not the same as procrastination. It's like "soaking beans". Sometimes you just need to let things sit for a while in order for the sake of the end product.

Becca Puglisi said...

Congrats on finishing! Well, so it's never really finished, but we have to declare it finished at some point, right? When I'm in your situation I usually do something that has nothing to do with writing. I catch up on TV, knock off the mile-long To Do list that's been growing since I started writing, plan art projects with my daughter, etc. I find that in a pretty short time, I'm itching to write again, with the perfect project in mind.

Becca @ The Bookshelf Muse

Lydia Kang said...

I haven't read that book either but it's been on my TBR list FOREVER...hmm, you make me want to pick it up now.

Between writing and revisions I read, too!

Christina Lee said...

I think reading work in your genre is the perfect thing to do--and jotting notes. It's okay to take a break and just breath. More ideas will come!