Why makes me an insecure writer this month?
Coming to grips with the knowledge that I'll always be a slow writer.
I can deny it no longer. I'm a slow writer. (LOL) It's not that I haven't known this for several years now, or that I haven't mentioned it on this blog at least a hundred times before, but 2022 has shown me that even when I have a more time to write, the words don't necessarily come any faster. Editing and rewriting are where I spend the bulk of my time, and forcing myself to sit down and work on my manuscript doesn't guarantee I'll make any worthwhile progress. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I've learned that I'll eventually figure out how to write a scene that's giving me trouble, but whether that process takes a week or three months is out of my hands.
For example, I've been working for nearly three months on the short story that will eventually become my reader magnet. It's almost ready for prime time now (thank goodness), but three months? Heck, some authors write entire books in three months. Now some of that delay is attributable to me--when I'm stuck on a scene, it's easy for me to avoid going down to my office to write. But I'm officially acknowledging here and now that I don't ever expect that behavior to change. That's how I roll and it'll be how I always roll. No sense fighting it. Accept it and move on, I say.
Just keep writing.
October question - What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?
For me, that genre would be science fiction and fantasy, and the best part of those genres is the sense of wonder evoked when I'm reading those stories. These days, my taste tends more toward urban fantasies, and the aspect of the story that gives me the most goosebumps is when the author creates a magical system that allows the main character to be clever with the magic, usually inventing news ways to use the magic we're already familiar with. That's the main reason I enjoy reading the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka.
Take care!
ChemistKen
