Shifting Gears — From Finishing to Beginning

Hello, everyone, and happy December! It's amazing how quickly these last few months have flown by, and just how much has happened during that time. As we move into the holiday season, and into the new year, I can contentedly say that I am finished with the final revision of my novel, and moving onto starting the next! Of course, this season will bring an interesting time known as the agent search, and hopefully some rest as well, but as I leave this one project and start on the next, I have begun to think about just how wrapping up one project provides a natural segue to the next.

As a writer, I think it is super important to always be thinking about future projects as you dive into your current one. Part of this goes back to the idea that you never know which novel, and which idea, will be the one that gets you an agent, or a contract, or a widespread readership. But also, being forward thinking and eager to create new, good ideas helps you in your commitment to the craft. Writing is no easy thing, and while it is great to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment of writing or revising your manuscript, you also want to make sure that you keep writing. There is no better way to become a better writer than to simply write more. I know this sounds totally cliche, but the more I write, the more I realize just how true this is.

Right now, I am waiting on the final comments from my mentor and then will officially be done with this novel. And part of me would love to kick back and relax for the next two months as I will admit I am quite tired from the hectic schedule of this past semester. But at the same time, I know it is time to move onto the next project and begin the process again.

I definitely think I am ready to move on from revision and begin writing something new again. While revision can be great, agonizing over sentence level details and deciding if the word "just" should go before or after the verb, and rereading a sentence with and without a contraction is really only fun for so long — at least for me anyways. You can really drive yourself crazy spending so much time on just one word placement when there are thousands of words you need to work through. Of course, this is not to say that revision can't have its great moments, but for now, I know I am ready to jump into the phase of creating anew, and leaving the meticulous nature revision behind.

I've heard some people say that after working with a project for so long, sometimes it can be hard to leave that world behind, with all of its characters and storylines and nuances that have really become a vivid reality to the author. I know I've spent a lot of time in my own fictional world and can see just how true this might be. But right now, because these three months of revision has been so intense and I feel at peace with where the story is at, I am happy to take a break and leave Carter and his world behind. But much like the way that every draft gets better, and your knowledge and craft of writing continually grows and builds upon itself, I think that Carter, and the stories I've written before, will always be part of the fabric of what I write next. They will never truly be left behind.

Your books become part of the fabric of who you are. And while some people might scoff at this idea as overly dramatic, it is really no different than the way that experiences and memories come to shape each of us. What you write, what you spend your time doing, all the things you think about, and all the lessons you learn about writing will carry on to the next project. However latent the role of these past projects become, they will always be part of your creative self, reminding you of the lessons you've learned and helping to shape your characters into more interesting ones and your plot into one of intrigue and action.

So as I move from the end of one project to the beginning of the next, I am confident that while I will face new challenges that I might not have dealt with before, I am better equipped to the write the story I am planning to write, and to write it well. It is time for the beginning of a new project, and thus I will take the lessons I've learned from Blinding and bring them forth into my new fictional world where characters will be created and imaginary lives will be changed. So wish me luck! Here's to many new lessons, new stories, and hopefully, even stronger writing :)