Reading, Writing and Elephants

This evening I've spent some time reading some writing material.

That sounds kinda funny! Reading some writing material?

Okay, guess you had to be there.

So in preparation for beginning another novel (and hopefully completing the crazy thing), I'm reading about certain plot functions and character developments and seeing how I've used these components in my current works and how I might use them even better in my works going forward. My goal is to get better and better with each successive novel I compose. Maybe someday that will lead to a publishing contract and maybe, eventually, perhaps, God-willing, I'll actually be able to make a living at this.

Writing can be enormously hard work. It doesn't necessarily come easy for me. I liken it to giving birth. The baby simmers and forms for nine months and then it takes hours and even days to push the blessed event out of the keyhole.

Maybe that was a little too vivid for you. But hey, I'm a writer. If it was vivid then that means I'm doing my job and doing it well. :-)

But seriously - the ideas are very easy for me to come up with. Getting started and plowing ahead is easy too. It's that middle part and wrapping it all up and bringing closure to the story that begins the difficult pushing stage.

During those times, I'll come up with every excuse in the book not to sit down and write. It's like scripture - I know what I'm supposed to do and yet I find myself doing that which I shouldn't do.

Procrastination should have been a four-letter word. Why is it that it starts with "pro"? Usually when you're a "pro" at something, it means it's a good thing.

I guess then I could say I'm a "pro" at pro-crastinating.

Plus I know now that when I sit down to start a story, it's going to be something that I'll work on for years and years. However, that was something that stood out to me in the book I was reading tonight. It talked about if you want to write a good story that you need to spend time on it, fully flesh out the characters, the setting, the underlying tensions and storylines. That's one benefit to working on a book for a series of years.

I'm just glad it takes only nine months instead of years to bring a baby into this world.

Sure feel sorry for those elephants.