Another Slow Progress End of the Week Edition

Hot Pressed

Despite having an extra day to work on this story last week, I didn't make nearly as much progress as I had originally thought I would. I suspect that's because there's so many little plot details still to be worked out. The scene I've been working on has changed multiple times while I've been writing it to better fit how the characters should be introduced to each other. I've finally landed on what I think makes sense, so I'm free to move onto the next section.

Our main character has finally left the airship and is about to discover that the armlets she just stole have... special properties which she hadn't originally accounted for. I'm looking forward to writing some inner brain conversations between her and her new mental... passenger.

This puts the story as solidly 1/3 completed, so hopefully it should be done in about another month.

Robotic Restitution

I'm currently about 3/4 of the way through editing chapter 7 (I did say progress was slow). I expect to finish editing this chapter today. At the rate of one chapter per week, the first editing pass probably won't be done for another three months, though I will endeavor to speed up the process. One chapter a week is pretty sustainable, though, so at least I won't get burned out if I continue working at this pace.

It's too bad I need to read everything at least once more before release, but future editing passes shouldn't take as long since I won't have to resolve continuity errors.

On the Process of Editing

After hearing from some other people on how their editing process goes, I've realized that what I do is rather different than others. Some people find the need to rewrite scenes over and over until they get them working the way they want them. Others say that they've had to throw out large chunks and start over again due to plot problems.

I've never done that before. In fact, I've almost never rewritten a scene. Thinking it over, there's a few reasons for that:

1. I always start with an outline. I've tried to write before without one, but without a definite conclusion to write towards, it's hard to know when you're 'done,' or if you'll ever get there. At least with an outline you can nail down exactly what you want to write and push towards that goal.
2. I spend an awful lot of time while writing a scene trying to figure out if what I'm writing fits into the end goal. Probably why I'm so slow when writing - I want to make sure that what I'm writing will be plausible, advances the goal of the plot, and introduces the proper foreknowledge of future events - hints that the reader can find if they go back to look. Sure, most readers won't bother, but I believe it makes for stronger stories.

When I go back and re-read a scene, I find it difficult to change parts of it in sections because of how the story flows. It can be done, but it takes a lot more consideration to make two parts meet up again if I need to insert a paragraph. Fortunately, I don't have to do that too often.

The end result is that when I go back and look at what I have written, I usually surprise myself at how good I think it actually is. Some of that is probably self aggrandizement, but I truly believe I do a fairly good job overall.

On the other hand, this gives me a lot of self doubt for the future. Every time I start writing again, I feel like I can never measure up to what I've been able to do in the past. It's nonsense, of course, but it's hard to lock those emotions away.

I suppose the answer is just to keep writing! Don't allow the forces of doubt to slow you down!