Rewrites to Singularity are done after two weeks of intensive effort. I’m happy with the changes I made, and believe they make the novel much better, although I’m still unsettled over it. That’s natural. You just have to take it draft by draft to craft it into it’s ultimate form.
Once again, I’m faced with needing to create distance from this world so I can come back in a 5-6 week and really “see” it again. I grappled with this last fall when I struggled to get out of that world after my second draft, which ultimately led to the beta reads that inspired this rewrite. It was the holidays then, but now, without that distraction, I have a better idea: a side quest.
I’ve often said that I believe artists need another creative hobby to keep them engaged when the creative well isn’t flowing: something simple, that still allows you to create, but without the stress of ground-up worldbuilding. I was lucky to find my side quest right after I published my first book in 2004: counted cross-stitching. A friend at my last job cross-stitched prolifically, and she agreed that I needed a relaxing hobby and taught me how. Now my home (and Mom’s home) is filled with my creations. I’m actually running out of room for them, as I’ve filled my home, Mom’s home, and given family and friends cross stitches for gifts. It has slowed down since I’ve grown as a writer, but I never (really) gave it up. In fact, I see an opportunity now to get back into it, and finally make some progress on the Believe in Santa Clause cross stitch that I’ve been working on for my husband for a while now.
How will this help my writing? By giving me space and a focus away from Singularity to create something different and personal. Cross stitching is gratifying to me because it’s filling a blank canvas, with the comfort and guidance of a design to do it. I don’t have to build it alone. The kit came with the design, instructions, the fabric, and the yarn. All I have to do is follow the directions and take it a stitch at a time.
The concept of the “side quest” is becoming more popular as people come to appreciate the benefit of it. Sure, there’s the risk of getting distracted, but I don’t believe that somebody who is truly a writer at heart will abandon it for other artistic endeavors. Rather, it becomes a symbiotic circle, with one feeding and inspiring the other. I’ll still work on my short stories, but they don’t require the time and intensity that novels do, so there’s time for a side quest in February.
Let’s see how much progress I can make on Santa!
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
Once again, I’m faced with needing to create distance from this world so I can come back in a 5-6 week and really “see” it again. I grappled with this last fall when I struggled to get out of that world after my second draft, which ultimately led to the beta reads that inspired this rewrite. It was the holidays then, but now, without that distraction, I have a better idea: a side quest.
I’ve often said that I believe artists need another creative hobby to keep them engaged when the creative well isn’t flowing: something simple, that still allows you to create, but without the stress of ground-up worldbuilding. I was lucky to find my side quest right after I published my first book in 2004: counted cross-stitching. A friend at my last job cross-stitched prolifically, and she agreed that I needed a relaxing hobby and taught me how. Now my home (and Mom’s home) is filled with my creations. I’m actually running out of room for them, as I’ve filled my home, Mom’s home, and given family and friends cross stitches for gifts. It has slowed down since I’ve grown as a writer, but I never (really) gave it up. In fact, I see an opportunity now to get back into it, and finally make some progress on the Believe in Santa Clause cross stitch that I’ve been working on for my husband for a while now.
How will this help my writing? By giving me space and a focus away from Singularity to create something different and personal. Cross stitching is gratifying to me because it’s filling a blank canvas, with the comfort and guidance of a design to do it. I don’t have to build it alone. The kit came with the design, instructions, the fabric, and the yarn. All I have to do is follow the directions and take it a stitch at a time.
The concept of the “side quest” is becoming more popular as people come to appreciate the benefit of it. Sure, there’s the risk of getting distracted, but I don’t believe that somebody who is truly a writer at heart will abandon it for other artistic endeavors. Rather, it becomes a symbiotic circle, with one feeding and inspiring the other. I’ll still work on my short stories, but they don’t require the time and intensity that novels do, so there’s time for a side quest in February.
Let’s see how much progress I can make on Santa!
That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.
Bye!
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