You ever have a great idea for an additional scene (we’re not talking about the Cave Scene here) for a novel? Something that is genuinely great, so you go ahead and take a day or two to add it and make sure it’s clean.
But then realize, “Wait a minute . . . That actually detracts from the rest of the chapter and makes it a slog”? So then you have to deliberate intensely with yourself about whether the addition is worth it.
Which then leads to you just deleting the addition because it isn’t, and going with a more straight forward version of events?
We-e-e-e-e-elp . . . that sure was my week.
0+1-1+1=1
I almost want to call it “the Santiago Equation.”
Just the perfect embodiment of a total slog for writers; the quintessential uphill battle of adding words, deleting those words, and adding new words (especially when the first batch of added words seemed like they’d be the best).
It’s like climbing up a slope, but you’re covered with Bic pen ink, and the slope is made out of crumpled balls of paper so you keep sliding back down.
And Ewan McGregor is at the top, dressed as your protagonist, screaming that you were the chosen one. And you’re like, “Dude, I’m fucking trying!”
Yeah, that’s 0+1-1+1=1 for sure.
The end result is always better–I’m definitely pleased with the end product I have and I’m glad that I’m approaching the final battle.
But man the ol’ write, delete, write is always exhausting.
Still, whatever; I’m past it and it’s exciting because the third act is pretty short, with all of its technically difficult bits firmly behind me.
So the end of the novel is surprisingly close.
Despite all of the back and forth, the finale is creeping up on me.
And that is exciting just because, in direct contrast to me from ten weeks ago, I am no longer excited to write prose. I could . . . really use a break. I am down to do anything else. Especially the life stuff I put on the back burner to try and power through this novel.
Actually, for that reason . . . I’m going to end this post here. Keeping it short because I used writing this as the equivalent of a Twitter break; I have a bit more writing to do before I get to my stopping point (right before a very intense scene I need to emotionally prep for).
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Thank you for reading. Currently, I post every Sunday night / Monday morning.
If you’d like to find out how much further I have to go before finishing my current work in progress, you can always give me a Follow via the button on the left side bar (on PC) or top right drop down menu (on mobile). Likes are also always helpful when it comes to deciding which content everyone likes. For example, my posts on my writing process are apparently evergreen, so I’m excited to get back to that topic along with other, small things I’ve noticed about how I write prose, dialogue, etc.
But either way, thank you for reading. Take care, stay hydrated, and almond butter with coconut is seriously the next level of peanut butter. I am not exaggerating; it is delicious and so decadent that it enforces its own serving size on you. The Nutrition Facts will be like, “You can have two tablespoons,” but you will be like, “Dude . . . I actually can’t. Because it feels . . . disrespectful?” It genuinely blows my mind. Absolutely delicious. Anyway, see you next week!
House of Error 