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As a writer, it is a good feeling when you can declare a draft of your book finished. At least until it’s time to begin the edit and revision process.
How many times are you able to do this?
A dozen of times? More?
For me, I was able to do this once.
One time.
It was a book I wrote back in 2008 for the National Novel Writing Month. It was titled Hope Falls. It was a science fiction-horror story.
I still have this draft although I am not sure if it will ever be published.
The story and the characters remain in my head. They want their story to be told.
But there are so many plot holes and changes that must be made.
So much…
Yeah, I’m intimidated as heck.
So, it continues to sit. I may get to it. Then again, I may not.
Wait, my muse is telling that I did complete one other book.
I wouldn’t call it a book; it was more of a novelette sized story. A romance one that I wrote specifically for Wattpad. Okay, okay I finished two books.
Drafts.
This newest story may have more hope to see publication of some form. And since it was so short, I don’t feel quite so intimidated to go back and start revising.
Does size really matters? Does this means that the bigger the project the more intimidating it appears when you begin the editing phase?
Hmm..it is true that I tend to focus the majority of my time on the short stories, and more often than not, they are released into the world for others to read. And in fact, just about every book I’ve attempted have been abandoned before I even get to the middle part.
What does this mean for me?
Perhaps I’m not cut out (or destined) to be that prolific writer who could churn out more than two books each year (Nora Roberts is the first to come to mind), and I’m really okay with that. After writing for as long as I have, I have learned to take the middle ground in that I really enjoy (and prefer) to write the shorter stories, and that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
What about you? Do you find it challenging to complete a long story (or a book)?