A Writer's Notebook, Day Ninety-Five

I didn't get very much done in writing terms today.  It is a busy time at home, as we are hosting dinner for my family tomorrow, with a few friends coming.  Not a huge crowd, but enough to make it work.  So, I did some symbolic work today, adding a few lines, but not stressing it.  I figure that I might have time in the later hours tomorrow, once things calm down, and can hopefully catch up.

I am recognizing that I have a lot more understanding of the book at this moment than I had before, and am feeling energized by that.  Even just writing a few lines today, I knew I had more there that I could have pulled out.  It is at that point now.  That is truly something I am glad about, as I was feeling very glum about things.  Now, though, I do see how the story has much to it that is not obvious but is present, and which might be clearer to a reader, I think.  I mean to say, I have been writing within a certain conscious frame, thinking through the characters own mind, and not always aware of how that is blind to other elements that might be obvious to another. 

I tend to think that works well, honestly, for me at least.  I am able to focus upon rendering the character without a conscious concern for those other elements, but they somehow seem to come together.  In this case, I know that background characters have their own stories that have been intersecting around the main character, unspoken and without any real sense of it for the character.  However, those interactions can be inferred, I think, fairly easily by a reader. 

It is a long way to go, still, really, and I know I am a bit behind on my word count, but I know that I can do the work and get there.  I felt rushed last month, too, though I may have been a bit ahead at one point.  In any case, I am sure I can get to the end by the time I need to.

It is funny how the story can change even when I am not writing.  Today, I had a very strong feeling about the story growing, and I cannot say what is really there, but know that some issue has been resolved. It may be the big thorny problem that has been holding me to a slower pace, but I am sure this is a positive development for me.

I know this is rather short, but I am going to cut it for now.  It's already late and I have a lot to do in the morning for the meal.  Hope those of you who are celebrating enjoy your holiday.  I plan to write something tomorrow night, but it may not be my usual type of thing.  Holiday special?

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