Under Jurisdiction

Here’s what’s up with this:

It’s rather egotistical (I think) to imagine that people are interested in my process.  Listening to people talk about their writing process is probably about as interesting as listening to people tell you all about the dream they had last night (unless they have really interesting dreams, of course).

Still, I’ve been a professionally published novelist since 1997, and I may have learned something during that time.  And while it is said that “misery loves company” it is also said that “misery loves the company of other miserable people,” so if you’re struggling with an issue in your own writing you might enjoy watching someone else tear out the pages of her manuscript books and crumple them up with extreme prejudice and fling them into the recycle basket and tear their hair out.  (Except, er, I never tear pages out of manuscript books, ruins the binding, which is why I write in manuscript books, saves me from Recycler’s Remorse three months down the line when I change my mind about Can This Scene Be Saved? from “no” to “maybe”).

In the novella I’m currently writing there’s a scene I wrote, liked some of the substance, didn’t like the action.  Wrote it again, liked the action of the scene, didn’t have enough substance.  I’m going to try it again (third time’s the charm).  Then I’ll show you thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, so you can see how it all came out, if you like.

First I have to re-write the scene again, so I’ll see you later.