Wasted Writing

Sat down, or rather sat up to write this morning. Got over 1000 words written by seven. Have to redo it all. Why? Well, I got really into describing what happened to the character a week earlier. It was pretty compelling. The poor guy went through a lot, and then I put him through another shocking realization right there in the scene I was writing. THEN when I finally got done with all that, I was ready to start on what I had intended the chapter to be about aaaaand I couldn't write anymore.

Hit the wall. Train of thought crashed. Got that feeling where I knew I was on the wrong track and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't finish the chapter except by summarizing what I intended to write.

My wife read what I'd spewed out, and agreed with me. She said the premise was fine, but the content was all wrong.

But y'know? I really know that character a lot better now. I've got a backstory for him in my head, one that doesn't really need to be told because a similar thing already happened to a more central character. It's nice for me to know what it was like for him, though.

I'll try that chapter again tonight or tomorrow, and I'll start in the same place, but with a fuller character who I'm not afraid to plunk down in the middle of something crazy. Cause I know where he's been, which means that he knows, which means he's not afraid to have some fun!

No writing is wasted.

Comments

  1. SpendloveSeptember 26, 2010 at 9:32 PM

    Okay yeah, this was some time ago. Sue me. I was in West Virginia. But I've got to say, this makes me feel much much better. But what about when you write this whole situation, get to the end, and then realize that despite how good what you've just written is, you were writing it about what you would do in that situation, and not what the character would do? Is that wasted?

    ReplyDelete

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