Writing Update: "The plot, like my gravy, thickens!"

Hello, there.

It has been a minute, has it not?

I haven't had much motivation or inspiration for this blog for a while -- I think that's obvious -- but then just the other night A Thought popped into the old thought factory:  "Hey, you did some writing update posts back in the day.  Try that again."  And the old thought factory™ considered that a tremendous idea.  So here, you might say, we are. 😛

Let us set the scene.

January, 2020.  Olivia has finished her stint at the community college and is taking a semester off before continuing with her bachelor's degree.  She is submitting job applications and getting Disproportionately Stressed when they are not being met with Immediate Responses.  

As she has nothing better to do, she decides to take another stab at the partially finished draft of that YA fantasy she's been working on.  (You know, that one that sprang from that other story that sprang from that other . . .  Never mind.  That one.)  This time, she decides, she has to be more intentional about plotting/outlining, if she wants to make it through at least a rough-but-completed first draft.  

So she does.  She scribbles haphazard notes in a Very Disjointed writing notebook, and she pieces together scenes that she wrote months ago with new scenes that she crafts in between more job applications.  [She also binge-watches six seasons of a new TV series while she does the aforementioned piecing & crafting.]  By the time she's done submitting applications, she's gotten into that most blessed and sought-after thing: A Writing Groove. 

She carries on, and by the end of the month she's finished the first draft of her very first novel.  It's short, and in today's world of chronically overlong tomes, it'd probably be considered a novella.  But she is [theoretically] undeterred.  She met the word count goal that she had instituted for herself for this first draft, and she's happy to have said first draft completed, even if it'll have to be lengthened in editing. 

March, 2020.  Olivia has started a couple of new jobs, and that, combined with her general need to give manuscripts some breathing room after she finishes them, means that she's taken a break from writing.  But March hasn't long been in the neighborhood before CiRcUmStAnCeS -- *looks pointedly at a certain virus* -- compel her to spend a more extensive amount of time at home.

And whence turneth the creative when free time beckons and even recreation itself suggests that enough of it has been had?

Well, if you're this creative right here -- *points at self* -- you might turn anywhere BUT creativity in most such situations, and that would be perfectly valid because You Are Not Obligated To Hit Any Benchmark Of Productivity During This Time And Maybe What You Actually Need To Do Is Rest™.  [This has been a public safety announcement.  Do what YOU need to do in your quarantine or self-isolation and for goodness' sake give yourself grace.  Thanks. ♡]

But, in this particular case, the creative decides to return to that first draft.  She knows it needs development because the pacing is off; she knows there are some plot holes and some continuity issues; and she doesn't like the way one of her main characters is coming across.  So she starts there, re-working the beginning and finding, once more, A Groove in the process.

And that brings us up to date here in April, 2020.

I'm still plugging away on the second draft.  I think I have about 2/3 of it edited, though it's hard to say since the last third or so of the original draft might be the one that needs the most revision and expansion.

^^ inspiration

I've added several thousand words so far, which, for a chronic underwriter such as myself, is a great relief. 😜  I think I may also be starting to understand what works for me and what doesn't in terms of planning, outlining, etc.  [If you're curious, I'm a plantser -- I can't leave it solely to the inspiration and direction of the moment, but you also won't catch me writing detailed scene cards any time soon. 😄]

It's been interesting so far.  On the one hand, it's so nice to be back with these specific characters, and to be reassured that I do indeed still have motivation to tell their story.  On the other, it's funny how even achieving  writing goals can trigger writing-based insecurity. 😅  I've been whacked over the head with a few doses of the ol' Imposter Syndrome a few times recently, and that's been tricky to navigate.  But it has helped to go back and reread some of y'all's lovely comments on previous posts about this story, so thank you.  Your encouragement has meant a lot. ♡  Anyone have any additional tips on combating writing insecurity that have worked for you?

Nothing is set in stone yet, but I am tentatively planning on calling for beta readers in the not-too-distant future. 😎  So keep an eye out for that, if you're interested!  In the meantime, you can visit my Writing Projects page to see the Pinterest storyboard and Spotify playlist that are inspiration for the story. 

^^ inspiration

Have you been writing anything lately?