Getting back into the swing of Starwalker
I’m going to let you in on a secret: I haven’t written Starwalker for a while.
Why is this a secret? Because I wrote so much during NaNoWriMo in November that I’m still enjoying the buffer. It’s posting away happily and all I’ve been doing in the meantime has been editing and formatting it for release (and moving house and sorting out all kinds of other things, but this post is about the web serial).
After the long slog of NaNo, I needed the break. Writing it so quickly pushed the story along in ways that I’m not entirely sure about. Now that I’m down to a handful of pre-written posts, I’m looking at them more and more closely and asking myself: is it really going where I want it to? Eventually, sure, it’s all heading towards the ending I have in mind, but the journey is what’s important to me. I’m just not sure that they’re doing it right.
So I’ve been using the last month or so to look at Starwalker more critically than creatively. I’ve already decided to scrap one entire post (and it was a monster; nearly 2,800 words!). It was torturous and not entirely necessary, and I think the story will be better off without it. The plot had started to feel like it was dragging its feet and it didn’t need a long, talky post that revealed little that we didn’t already know.
I’ve spent some time pondering over the details of another post, too, and finally figured out what was bothering me about it. I spent some time this week going over it and fixing it up, and hopefully it makes more sense now.
Part of the reason why I struggled during NaNo was that the next step of the ship’s journey was being slippery to pin down, but I think I have a plan of attack for that now. I’ve had time to mull over the options and try to work out what would be the best thing for the story. I’ve mentally thrown away my original idea and replaced it with a new one, which I think will work much better. I can already see ways I can use the tension to the story’s best advantage.
So where does that leave me? I have another couple of completed posts ready to go up (I’ll get them all scheduled and ready to go over the next few days). I have a half-completed post, which was where I stopped writing during NaNo. I stopped before I ruined it out of sheer exhaustion, but the scene is one I love, so I’ll be keeping it (and finishing it!). I’ve got that one scene to throw away, but I’ll be picking out a few choice facets that will crop up later; possibly, much later.
Once that’s all done, it’ll be back to writing for me. It feels weird now that I’ve been away for a while. It feels a bit like chatting to an old friend; no matter how long it’s been, the conversation comes as easily as it always has.
The end of the story is on the horizon. If I squint, I can see it. I’m not entirely sure of the path that’ll get us there but that’s half the fun. I’m trying not to think about what will happen after that, because that’s a distraction: what I’m writing here and now for this wonderful adventure is what’s important to me.
Join me. It’s gonna be a blast.
Marcus says:
It is a treat to see a glimpse into an authors process, especially for such a lovely story.
I hope to be with the other readers all the way to the end.
January 9th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
Mel says:
Thanks Marcus! Hope you come along for the ride, too. 🙂
January 10th, 2013 at 8:35 am