I'm not dabbling.

I don't know what other writers do, and this will probably sound weird, but sometimes I psyche myself up for a writing session.  Especially if I have a general idea of what I want, but have reached a kind of plateau.  That is, where I stopped was a good place, and I know what I want to accomplish next, but there is like a 10 foot span between one roof and the other and I have to wind myself up in order to jump across it.

So I get everything prepared, ready, sharpen the pencils (bring up the program) and then walk around talking to myself, basically, or whatever it takes to really get a good strong headstart so I can leap across that gap.


Meanwhile, to go back to that first sentence -- what other writers do.

You know, I have to believe that every writer is completely different.  I know that I've arrived at my process by trial and error.  Some things work for me that I'm positive would work for no one else, and some things that I've read work for everyone else, don't work for me.

One rule I do have.  Finish the story.  Don't get sidetracked.  Finish it.

Then, if it isn't good enough, do something else and come back to it later.

I was talking to someone who asked how I managed to find the time and energy to finish so many drafts.  I told him it was because I've been very "diligent."  I've set myself goals and I've stuck to them.  I've spend a lot of time doing this.  I'm not dabbling.  I suspect, too, that I had a lot of pent up creative energy from my long break.

I want to finish these stories, which are starting to pile up, and that is another motivation to keep on working.  It would be a shame not to get these into readable shape.

Meanwhile, I just enjoy writing the original stories.  That part is fun.

So the first part, the creation of the story, gets done because I find it fun.

The second part, getting it into readable shape gets done because I don't want to waste the effort.