I spent most of this last weekend at a table in a chapel down the Great Ocean Road reading a manuscript.
My manscript.
87,000 words, that I wrote in 2019.
I barely moved from my position at the back of the chapel. I'd set up ADHD corner - my computer, crochet, my manuscript, computer peripherals - the complete dog's breakfast, bit if you're going to hunker down and read 87000 words, you want to feel at home.
I did it too - got through the whole thing. If you think about it the modern-day novel runs to around 100,000 words, that's around 80% of a book. I had a pen in hand, making a few slashes, making a few notes, but mostly I read, and took in what it was I'd done.
A little surprisingly, I wasn't about to slit my wrists or stick my fingers down my throat. It's okay. Sure, it needs work, but this is, as we Gunnas call it, the down draft. Then you do the up draft, where you sort out all the issues and really knock the whole thing into shape. Then there's the dental draft, or the proof edit.
Structurally, it's pretty sound. I like the meandering through London in the 90s. Although they have to be taken out, I really like the song lyrics at the start of each chapter. I want to make a playlist of these songs to go with the manuscript. Having the songs playing helped me write this.
However, when I got to the end of the manuscript - this book which mirrors my own life, it abruptly stopped.
1997.
My Annus Horribilus.
Far too much happened that year. Okay, my Dad died in the April, Lady Di went in July and lots of other things which threw everything off-kiltre.
It's the year when everything came to a head.
It's no wonder I stopped writing this.
Six years on, a lot more life and some more perspective, I think I'm ready to tackle this again and finish it off.
I have put myself down for the November Gunnas retreat. I want to have the first draft finished by then.
As Dev says, you're always doomed to stop writing at ME-FA or LA-TEE (This is a Sound of Music reference - Doh, Rey, Me, Fa, Soh, La, Tee, Doh. You're likely to give up at that 30% or 70% mark.
It's time to bite the bullet and get this out there.
I can do this.
1997 was an Annus Horribilus, bit it was 30 years ago. It can't hurt me.
Wish me luck. I have four months to knock this out.
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