As I slog back through the first draft of Book Seven, cutting, cutting (where the hell did all those useless paragraphs come from?), and wondering how I’m going to fill the giant gaping holes in the plot, I come across little notes to myself in the ms.
Some are pretty obvious: Check on a name. (Did I really give two different characters the same name? Yah, you betcha.) Fix the timeline. (Oh, wait. I never made a timeline. Which is probably why—once I count the days—I’ve ended up with a courtroom scene on a Saturday. Sorry about that, Judge. You don’t have to work on your day off after all.)
But then I found one on a particularly uninspired piece of writing. I’m talking limp as overcooked pasta, and just about as unappetizing. It said simply: “Do this better.”
I fired off a quick tweet & FB post about it, something to the effect that it could apply to the whole book. And it could.
This being New Year’s Day, “do better” works as a great resolution. The novelist Laura Lippman has a terrific tradition of posting a one-word resolution each year and asking people to do the same. It’s inspiring to read through people’s posts, and their reasons for the word they’ve chosen.
Mine? Achieve.
With two books published within four months of each other, 2018 was a great year in many ways. But you know what didn’t happen while I was promoting those books, and working on three other writing-related projects? Work on a new novel.
Book Seven got to first draft phase right about the time Silent Hearts came out, and then languished. So here’s my resolution that 2019 will see it get the attention it deserves, with darlings jettisoned, holes filled, names and timelines straightened out, and the writing done better.
Onward.
And, Happy New Year!
Gwen, I love this. I can still hear your voice loud (well it’s not that loud) and clear. You are an inspiration. Stay the course!
Thanks, Cobra! Hope all is well. Wish I were in warm and sunny Chapala right now.