I did it.
I started over on my writing project.
(Sorry I didn’t tell you a little sooner, but my mom came down to visit for a few days and we were busy Christmas shopping, sitting by the pool, reading, watching movies, eating, etc.)
I got my notes back from Beta Reader #2 on Saturday! She said exactly what I hoped she would say in regards to structure/story/memoir vs. fiction. She asked for more detail in a few scenes, and she said a lot of nice things that boosted my confidence. She also pointed out an embarrassing mistake I (inconsistently) make in regards to punctuating my dialogue tags/actions, but that’s ok. Now I know… and I’ll fix it.
So, I sat my 80,000 word first-attempt aside (albeit within reach) and opened a new Word document on Monday morning.
I thought I would be filled with dread staring at a blank screen again, but I was actually pretty stoked. I’m setting off this time with a more defined purpose and a much better sense of direction.
By the time I finished my cup of coffee Monday morning – I was sitting at 563 words. And, they’re not even 563 good words – or complete sentences for that matter. Some of the words are repeated versions of the same sentence while I try to decide which configuration I like best.
At any rate, my mom is on her way home (insert sad emoticon here).
I plan to spend my lonely day doing laundry and writing.
P.S. I lied to you!!!! I’m sorry….. I spoke too soon in my last blog about Augusten Burroughs and my favorite story in You Better Not Cry. While I love the confusion between Santa and Jesus….. The story about him making a low-income gingerbread tenement is my favorite… With a clear conscience, here’s that link again:
