Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Reading, Writing, & Revising

I'm still revising ... I know, I know, but I am striving for clarity and precision and sometimes it can be very slow. Add to that the end of school, various odd appts., and other things, and it slows me down further. I'm a creature who thrives on routine and I need to get one in a hurry ...

Now that the children are older and like to sleep in, perhaps I should get up early to write. Whenever I've tried this in the past, I found that my concentration flagged after 30 minutes, with the responsibilities of the day crowding my mind. Maybe it will be different this time. I did manage 30 min. of writing during their swimming practice.

A new book has been percolating in my mind for several years, but until a second, unrelated thematic element popped up, I didn't have a novel. I think it's time to explore it, so I may jot down scenes during the swim meets. I started a new notebook that's not too bulky. Spiral-bound with a hard cover. Wish me luck.

I've also been reading a couple of adult books, and although I like the stories, the shifting viewpoints can drive me bonkers. Very few authors do this skillfully, but the truth is, as a reader I don't really care about what every person is thinking. It ends up distancing me from ALL the characters. Another aspect that I'm critical of are beginnings. Backstory ... it literally stops forward motion and again, all these elements could easily be revealed later. I don't need to know what the grandmother did, for heaven's sake. Children's books are so much tighter. I hope that if I ever write for adults, I will not become lazy in my writing.

Here are a couple more clips my son took at the air show last month. Enjoy and be inspired. It takes years and years of training to fly like this. Kind of like writing, eh? Hey, has anyone read The Right Stuff? It's so good. When my kids are older, I'll let them watch the movie (it's good too). Warning: there's some crass language and behavior not suitable for children.

9 comments:

Mirka Breen said...

The Blue Angels do their air-show where we are on Columbus Day weekend, and it is spectacular. After they whizz by I realize I had chewed my lower lip raw because of how stressful it is to watch flyers so close to each other roll over and do their air acrobatics. So close to each other that a hundredth of a second's lapse could mean a catastrophe.
Best on revising!

Faith E. Hough said...

I definitely understand where you're at on revising. I think I would revise forever, if I let myself--but Cheryl Klein shared some insight at a conference that really struck a chord with me: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Sigh.
Did I ever tell you my dad was in the air force? We used to go to air shows every summer, and I remember thinking two things at the same time: "That's amazing!" and "That is completely crazy." A lot like good writing, as well. :)

Anonymous said...

Revision is good! YAY Vijaya! I am sure your work will be productive. I am looking forwar to seeing more of your work, my friend!

Vijaya said...

Mirka, it's definitely nail biting to watch.

Faith, amazing and crazy is right. And CK is right to remind us not let the desire for perfection get in the way of the good. At every Mass, the Gloria reminds me of the One who is perfet.

Donna, all writing is revising, no?

Bish Denham said...

How they can fly so fast in those formations is beyond me.

And when you're ready to let another pair of eyes read your novel, I'm more than willing.

Marcia said...

We saw the Blue Angels in Indianapolis. Awesome.

A lot of adult fiction drives me crazy. In fact, I've realized something that it's crazy I didn't realize before: I really don't like and have never liked adult fiction very much. When I was a big reader it was MG. When I was a teen, YA fiction really hadn't arrived yet, so we read adult fiction. "English class" fiction. A lot of which was meh to me, or worse. I refused to major in English because I didn't want to spend four years reading boring classics. Now I'm back to MG. Ha, I've never grown up in that way, I guess.

Vijaya said...

Bish, it's sheer madness to do what these pilots do. I am in AWE. And thank you for your offer to read. I hope to have a copy swinging by your place by the end of summer.

Marcia, I'm glad you never grew up! I guess in many ways that's true for me as well because my husband feels as though he has three kids on his hands at times. He's the grown up and responsible one in our family, and thank God.

Murr Brewster said...

I re-read and polish obsessively as I write. It just came in handy when I lost the first 5,000 words of my novel. I was just about able to rewrite it verbatim. I'm missing about 700 words, probably the really brilliant ones. They gain luster with each passing moment.

Vijaya said...

Murr (does this rhyme with purr?), thanks for visiting and sharing your writiing process. I think you might share your obsession with Laini Taylor, and her books are brilliant.