Howdy,
So two days ago I posted a revised (first editing pass) version of the beginning of the Jake Jones serial story (it’s going to need a better — or at least more complete — name, a more decided title if nothing else) that I am currently grappling with to smooth out into a novella for publishing in book form. I’m excited and hopeful to have another book available on Amazon at the end of this effort.
Ironically, just about right after I posted that I jumped back in on that part for another run at revising. I started right back at the beginning because I’m reading Stephen King’s book on writing, titled On Writing. That is, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. I’ve never read Stephen King, because horror’s not my genre, and not everything in On Writing is my thing either, but I heard it recommended highly for writers and it does have great insight and instruction on writing, particularly fiction.
On Amazon it says about the book: “Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, this special edition of Stephen King’s critically lauded, million-copy bestseller shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped him and his work.”
Anyway, reading On Writing had me on hyper-alert and motivated against certain things creeping into my story. With encouraged vigor I wanted to hunt out overuse of adverbs, colorful attributes, and the passive tense. Mr. King had me ready to attack against such things, fresh in mind.
So I’ve got highlighted aspects for alert to pull me through this next pass of revision. Should be a good study, a good experience, an informed and fired up one. I am “aspiring.”
When I told my wife, on commencing this post, that I’d returned to re-edit the beginning of Jake Jones before working through the rest, Sarah rolled her eyes at me. No, rolled eyes isn’t it, not quite right, and unfair, because she didn’t do that: actually she smiled and gave me a questioning look. A helpful look, because the question gave an answer as well. To me it was clear assistance (thank you, Sarah), saying, “you know you shouldn’t be recycling over and over in the front without forging ahead … You know that.”
I do. I do know that. I did that a lot with my first novel, reworking familiar spots, comfortable spots, and I don’t want that to be my practice as I improve my process. My first novel took forever. I’m happy with it, but it wasn’t a quick or efficient endeavor. Finishing a first book is quite a trick. It’s so great to know that I’ve finished one, that I know I can do it. Ah, so good.
Still, ahead is work.
Probably why King recommends a writing room have a door; he says it’s not only to shut others out but also — and this is more likely the heart of the matter — to shut yourself in.
I’ll get to working on the rest of the story.
—Billy
Reading. Writing. Living.
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