That's what I'm feeling like right now. Over the past month I've written eleven chapters and revised eighteen. I'm conscious, not of difficulty, but of effort. I don't think I've ever had such sustained output before, at least, not output that has the kind of depth that I'm experiencing. And when I say depth I don't mean the Hey baby, I'm a deep and beautiful guy, love your nails! kind of depth, I mean that I'm not just getting the words out, I'm also working with them once they've been committed to the page, drawing threads of continuity back and forth through the manuscript, and I'm also editing at the level of individual word choice. It taps in to a whole different kind of energy, which means a new sort of tired.Sometimes, you've just got to let the tale sit by itself for awhile. When I sat down before the laptop just now, it was to work on fresh edits from the editrix, but by the second comma my brain ground to a deep, gear-rumbling halt. So, no more for me this evening. I'll come here and chat at you lovely people instead.
For a long time, I was puzzled by and more than a little envious of the writers who were so obviously passionate about their work, so in love with all the hard work and niggly little details of the whole process. I'd had too many experiences of riding along with the muse, only to fall off and into the mud when the words stopped flowing (see Dreaded 25,000 Word Mark, The). I simply didn't know what to do with a story when the inspiration stopped, even if the cessation was only temporary, and I didn't have access to a Dickian supply of amphetamines that would allow me to crank out a whole novel in three days.
But writing, I'm discovering, has as much to do with knowing what to do when you're uninspired as it does with getting into the groove when the words are flowing free and clear. And the more I take care of the less glamorous bits--editing, revision, manuscript continuity--the more I appreciate those times when the wordflow returns.
For me, personally, it's a vast and consuming endeavor, in the service of--eventually--entertaining you, the reader. I've still got quite a way to go yet, and tonight I feel tired...but I feel good. I love what I'm doing. It occupies my attention like nothing else I've ever done. Hopefully that directed intention will make its way into the finished product.
We'll find out soon enough!
