...a.k.a. Deleting Chapter 7 and Starting it Over
Deleting a block of text I spent five days writing is something I do not love to do. Or even like to do. Heck, I can barely breathe before I hit the delete key - which is why I never *really* delete text. I cut and paste into a separate document because it might work later on in the story, or even in another piece of prose.
The cold, hard truth is sometimes it's simply necessary to dump text. It could be because of a new, better idea. Or even an older better idea. In this case, I saw two possible directions for the story to take, and I chose what turned out to be the wrong one. Well, maybe wrong isn't the right word, but it's the word I have this rainy night.
Typing the chapter solidified where the story should be going, so it was in no way a waste of time. The only deadline on this story is one I set for myself, so I have the luxury of being able to dump almost a week's work and regroup. And honestly, it's not the first time I've done this over the years - nor will it be the last.
What's the point of sharing? I guess it's just to let other writers, especially those new to the craft, that dumping text happens no matter how long you've been writing. And I needed to whine about it a bit.
But as Don Henley said - get over it.
So I'm going back to work now. With any luck, I can bang out a new chapter seven by Thursday. Or not. Either way, it will be okay.
KC
No comments:
Post a Comment