Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Golden Mean

I am in the middle of my novel. I know the things that need to happen, but instead of plowing through it, I'm wallowing in it (and rather enjoying all the things I'm discovering). I have a feeling that most of it will end up on the cutting floor, as it should. But why do I have to wade through the morass to get to the good stuff? I don't know. The process baffles me. I know my story. I don't know why I can't just write the important scenes first time round. Wah!

I'm going to keep writing because it is a first draft and there is so much to learn, but when I revise, I'll be keeping Molly's Golden Advice in mind. And if you're curious, head on over there to check it out. It's good. It's logical. And it is the Golden Rule that is built into our psyches.

Thanks, Molly.

And for those of you who were looking for the Golden Rule, here it is from the Gospel: So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12).
*

9 comments:

Bish Denham said...

Thanks for the link over to Molly's Golden Rule. Good stuff there.

Write2ignite said...

I'll check out the link, V. Thanks for the reminder of the original golden rule, too. :)

hugs,
Donna

Mary Witzl said...

Easy rules to remember, but not always to follow! But if we all tried, we'd save ourselves and others so much heartache and so many headaches.

Suma Subramaniam said...

Vijaya,

I see the importance the original Golden Rule today:-) Thanks for the link. I'll look it up.

Marcia said...

I'm a wallower, too. I've come to realize that's how the ideas come. That's how I discover things. It's like I have to actually create some of the world -- start writing -- before I can come up with more. Kind of like how God leads me through life instead of giving me a blueprint?

Vijaya said...

I goofed, ladies. It's the Golden Mean (the math part) but I'm glad both goldens are in your mind.

Mary, it's easy to be good when you're alone. Much harder when we're together. Perhaps this is why it's so hard to follow the golden rule.

Marcia, why are we always in a hurry? Nothing of value ever comes quickly. Characters, novels, etc. all take time to develop (just like us humans). I'm terribly impatient ...

Mary Witzl said...

What I really find difficult is getting rid of all the padding I don't need. The only way I can manage this is by telling myself it all happened, but nobody but me needs to know about it. Once I convince myself of that, I can get rid of almost anything.

Andrea Mack said...

Vijaya, the middle is the hardest part of writing for me too. Sometimes, I find I just sit there at my desk, stuck, like I have no where to go, or no clear way to get to the end. But you're right, you need to just keep plowing through it and you'll get there eventually.

Vijaya said...

Mary, that's so true. We have to know all that happened, but the reader doesn't.

Andrea, this is why we have to plow through all the parts we know we're going to cut eventually. I find that I get stuck when I don't know my character well enough.