finbarsfiddle

The setting of a novel often plays a large role in the story. Sometimes the setting is almost a character. Think, for example, of survival stories. The sea, jungle, or frozen tundra become an antagonist. At other times the setting serves to create the mood. A story on an island can highlight isolation. A story set in the city can provide an endless buffet of quirky characters. One story I’ve been working on takes place in the forest. I had to think carefully about how the forest would influence the characters’ behavior.  I even wrote in the forest occasionally to get in the proper mindset

My other story is set in the wide open plains of the Western U.S. and Canada.

Inspiration for this is harder to come by near my pine-clad Southeastern home. Sometimes I would write at the lake because it is the only wide open space around.

A writer doesn’t usually write in the environment of the story. Unless the story is about a crowded coffee shop, that is. It is important to rely on memories and even pictures to get the right feel. This feel may never show up overtly in the story, but it helps add realism.

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Sometimes as a writer it is easy to get bogged down in one project. We work so hard on a manuscript that we get tunnel vision. This can make it hard to see problems in our work. It can also make it hard to break through writer’s block and find creative ideas.

In an effort to combat this I have been working on three projects at once. I am revising a work in progress and creating first drafts of two others. This is the first time I’ve tried this approach. It seems to be working well.

Typically I work for a week on one project then switch to another. Sometimes, though I might stay longer with a project if it is flowing well. I find that this keeps each project fresh. If I am hitting a wall in one story, I can usually make progress in another. One downside is maintaining continuity. Long breaks require me to shift gears mentally when I return to a story.

I don’t have any finished project yet from this process, but so far it has proved productive.  I wonder if other writers have found this approach productive or distracting?

This week has been another week of revising. In addition to cutting bad writing, I am also cutting sections that I like. This is a difficult process. Sometimes it is a conversation. Sometimes it is a whole scene. All of this trimming presents two problems.

The first is emotional. I really liked some of these scenes. I resisted cutting them but in the end they had to go. They slow the story down or provide unnecessary detail. They are good, but they don’t belong in this story. At times it leaves me feeling like this.

The second problem is logical. Every time I cut something it sends ripples through the rest of the book. For example, I have to make sure the characters don’t talk about that event later.  At times it leaves me feeling a bit like this.

I will keep cutting though, trusting that the manuscript is getting better. Nobody said writing was easy.

I am learning that writing is mostly revising. For the last year I have been working on a new book. After a long, slow process of filling the blank page, I am now editing. This editing, I’ve found out, is often emptying the page.

My book is too long. There are too many words that don’t move the story along. My job now is to remove them and nourish the fruitful words. It is a bit like pruning a fruit tree I suppose. I’ve never actually pruned a fruit tree. The trick is removing the proper words and keeping the good ones. The goal is to do more with less.

Sometimes in this process I am astounded by words that I thought were good. In hindsight it is obvious they don’t belong. When I typed them though, they seemed to fit. Perhaps as I become a more experienced writer this process will be easier. Maybe not. Perhaps all those extra words bring the good ones with them. I don’t really know. For now though, I am wielding the pruning shears and trimming it down.