Lightbulb Moment: When Writing, Pacing Has Two Limits

When writing, most writers worry about their upper limits. But… did you know that some of us have lower limits as well, before a story goes off the tracks?

10,000 Views For 2021!

Last year, you peeps blew me away, reading and sharing my posts until I hit 10k on December 13th. This year, I sorta-cheated. I added my weekly round-up post, and everyone knows — more posts usually mean more hits.

Thank you for your support, I literally couldn’t have done it without you.

I hope I can keep making content you find worthwhile.

How Does This Writing Thing Work Again?

As I gear up for NaNoWriMo, there’s this small pit of dread somewhere between the back of my throat and my stomach. (What can I say, it moves.)

But. I’ve had this pit of dread before.

Sure, I’ve drafted a handful of manuscripts, I’ve even polished one or two. Yet, every time I gear up for NaNoWriMo, I end up with this familiar dread:

Maybe… I can’t write, anymore.

How To Save a Fizzled First Draft

Last year, I ‘won’ NaNoWriMo, but my story had veered off course. I tried to push through to an ending, but by the end of March, it was so far off from where I wanted it to be, I knew I was fighting a losing battle.

Now, not all stories that go off course are wrong. Sometimes the story takes the lead and brings you to better things than you ever expected.

But, for me? This wasn’t the story I wanted to tell.

So, I set it aside, polished some rough drafted short stories, beta-read for some friends, and read a lot of books. I gave my story breathing room to percolate in my head and I waited til now to pull this technique out of my toolbox.