A Writer’s Journal, Day #1059
Day Four of “Journal of Finishing a Novel” and we’re done! Yesterday’s work took us all the way to THE END. I think it works. I hope so. But I will not drive myself crazy, chewing it over. Instead I will start today, as soon as I finish writing this post, revisiting and reworking a couple of sticking points in the narrative that I’ve bypassed on the headlong march to the finish.
These go-backs can be particularly scary. In fact I’m more trepidatious about today’s work–and the next few days’–than I was about the actual climax. The alternative to bypassing such sticking points though (i.e., dealing with them in the real-time flow of start-to-finish) is too risky. They can bring the work to a grinding halt. And that must be avoided at all costs.
I’m a believer in bypassing parts of the story that are non-essential but that put up a stubborn fight when you try to lick them. Those pockets of resistance will break our momentum, bog us down and wear out our spirit. If we let enough of them build up, they can wind up defeating us entirely.
When the First Marine Division invaded Iraq seven years ago, its #1 priority was to get to Baghdad–fast. Baghdad for you and me is finishing the book, completing the project. That is Job One, because once we’ve done that, we’ve won the war. If we have to go back and mop up Al Kut and An Nasiriyah later, so be it. At least we’ve got the campaign in hand.
So I’ve got to THE END, which is great. But now I have to pay the piper of passages I’ve skipped over.
The last big pocket of resistance is a long sequence—seven or eight pages—where I originally killed off a major character. Only now I’ve decided to keep him alive till the climax. His death in the originally-bypassed sequence was the Big Bang that gave the sequence its punch. Now that’s gone. I’ve got to come up with something to replace it. I have no idea what that’ll be.
Okay, I can feel this journaling is turning into Resistance and avoidance. That’s enough for today. Let’s get to work and see what we can come up with …
DO THE WORK
Steve shows you the predictable Resistance points that every writer hits in a work-in-progress and then shows you how to deal with each one of these sticking points. This book shows you how to keep going with your work.
THE AUTHENTIC SWING
A short book about the writing of a first novel: for Steve, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Having failed with three earlier attempts at novels, here's how Steve finally succeeded.
NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T
Steve shares his "lessons learned" from the trenches of the five different writing careers—advertising, screenwriting, fiction, nonfiction, and self-help. This is tradecraft. An MFA in Writing in 197 pages.
TURNING PRO
Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have pro habits. When we turn pro, we give up the comfortable life but we find our power. Steve answers the question, "How do we overcome Resistance?"
Thanks Steve. This has been a great sequence of posts. I love that once you got to the end you are going back in for more – no stopping to celebrate and slow down (and allow for the resistance to creep back in).
OMG; I’m actually doing it right! Except I need to keep all my chapters (with different Marines, Bn, companies) on a huge sheet of paper so I can keep the action straight and it all makes sense as I jump around //
What is Baghdad or The End for an entrepreneur?
IMHO, the end for an entrepreneur is being just profitable. Paul Graham call it “ramen profitable” http://www.paulgraham.com/ramenprofitable.html
that is “enough to pay the founders’ living expenses “.
Then the adventure can start …
Hahaha…ramen profitable. Love that.
I must admit that these posts have been very inspiring. It compels me to be as determined. Keep it up Steve!
Done. What a great word. Congratulations and get to fixin’ what needs to be fixed.
Mike
Congratulations, Steven, on taking Baghdad! You rock! Thanks for the years of inspiration.
Thank you so much for your insights on staying the course despite fickle sticking points. Those issues always stop me in my tracks and I’ve never reached “The End.” But I’ll get there. Thanks for being so transparent about your process.
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