The two things I hate most in the world are, lack of control, and having to wait. Right now those two things are a lot of my writing process. Feedback, editing, and any changes needing to be made that I could not see all depend on other people. If I tell a reader to hurry up, it can only hurt me: They may hurry for me, and miss observations that would have made me book stronger. And, if I just piss them off with demands…Well…
The world wasn’t built from the ground up with people who use assistive devices in mind. So, I don’t have control as much as the average person, and have to wait a lot more. Maybe that was one reason I fell into Anorexia- I thought I could control what I ate if nothing else. (Anorexia isn’t that simple, and I lost control of food too.) But, if I have to wait for almost everything else in life, how the heck do I add the burden of another wait to my world?
I wait by waiting. I know the finished product will come and, when it does, I will be overjoyed and nostalgic simultaneously. No one gets life back to re do entirely or to relive. While waiting, I turn to other things. I draw, I write poetry and compete in competitions, I take walks, nap, meditate, reflect, write letters (paper + pencil!) I study and research. And I savour how darn comfy the bed is.
Of course, there are Sicky-Book things that can be done that don’t include the manuscript, too. I found my photos from the last decade by random chance after I’d given up hope of seeing them again. I can choose photos to use for the book! I can reach out to the other actors in my story to check details. Finding a content/copy editor is useful, as is looking into the requirements of my chosen publishing method and getting into promotion (START THIS EARLIER THEN YOU’RE THINKING YOU SHOULD)
The most effective way to decide what to do next? Do what moves you most. I find that if I am getting ideas in any area, it’s best to strike while the iron’s hot? If no iron in the “Writer’s genre” is hot, do something that you want to do for a bit, and come back. If you find writing dreadful all the time, reflect on why you’re writing in the first place, if it’s a school/ worth requirement, reflect on what will make the process more effective.
Hey, this post took 45 minutes, that’s 45 minutes closer to Sickybeat!
SickyBeat 