Leaving perfectly good stories behind.

When a story comes to me I immediately start writing it.

When I came back to writing I told myself that I would write everything. I know that's unrealistic and impractical in real life, but amazingly, I've been able to mostly follow through as long as I write every day.

I also love first drafts. I love telling the stories to myself.

I do not love editing. I realize the necessity, and I've come to terms with it, but it always a cinch-my-belt moment to sit down and actually do it.

So when the stories come fast and furious, I'm finishing entire first drafts and then immediately jumping into the next story, and then into the next.

And the books I so loved writing sit abandoned, unedited.

The sad part is that I can edit a book about twice as fast as I can write one, so effectively, I could produce twice as many books if I just edited them.

But no, I'm so enamored with storytelling that I always give myself permission to do that first. I can always go back to editing, I tell myself, whereas the story that's scratching at my brain isn't going to wait around.

I hope I don't get hit be a truck before I have a chance to polish off all the stories I've accumulated.


Meanwhile:

"Fateplay" is more about mood and tone than anything else. The plot is coming slowly, chapter by chapter. Not sure where it's leading. But the characters feel engaging to me. I'm enjoying the interplay between them.

I want to avoid getting too cute. I don't much like that when I read it in other's fiction and I think it's an easy trap to fall into.

But then again, having them a little "cute" adds to the appeal. So that's a fine line.

When I start every day's writing session, it's the mood and tone that I call up. Then I'm trying to figure out how to get these charming folk moving around. Heh.