Welcome to the October installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. *gasp* It's October already! If you want to be a part of this amazing group (inspired by the ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh) click here.
I'm big into podcasts now (I blogged about podcasts for authors here). I recently listened to Joanna Penn's interview with Orna Ross. Lots of good info packed into the interview, but one thing stood out to me: "Finish, even if it's not good."
You see, I'm deep in a tough revision right now. Like, a gut-the-opening and drop-useless-characters kind of revision. There have been days when I've opened the manuscript, revised one page, and then closed the laptop. It's overwhelming. My next step is to use Janice Hardy's tip to create an editorial map.
Orna Ross's advice reminded me that I just need to cross a finish line, even if the finish line is small. Finished one chapter? That's a finish line. Erased one whole character from the manuscript? That's a finish line. Even if those chapters aren't good, the simple act of finishing something is positive. It's one step closer to the ultimate finish line...creating a wonderful story.
I have a lot of hard work ahead of me. But should we ignore something just because it's hard? No. As Susan Kaye Quinn said on her blog, "It will always be hard."
Are you with me, fellow writers? Let's finish, even if it's bad. We can go back and make it good.
Have you ever been mired in a tough revision? Were you tempted to close the manuscript and not finish? Are you ever intimidated by the amount of work that needs to be done?