A friend from my critique group says I need to forget about all of that stuff and just write the story. I can sprinkle in all of my cool details later, he says.
The problem is, I really like all my details and character back stories and all the little things that make the story unique, and, I'm worried that if I don't include at least some of this stuff now, it's not going to fit in so well later on.
I hear all of this advice of "Just finish." and "write the first draft, then go back and polish," but I want to polish now. It's difficult to go in a straight line and finish the first draft when I want to circle back and make the story more than it is in the current state.
I am now trying to stick to a schedule to keep me producing something every two weeks so I don't let the knot tie me up too tight. And, even though I haven't finished the first draft of the story, and I have already written hundreds and hundreds of pages, I am currently re-working Chapter 10. "That's it?" was all my husband said the other day when I told him what chapter I was working on. But I've gotta say, I like the story so much better in the direction it's going AND I've been able to include some of my more creative ideas.
Is this the "right" way to write? I'm not sure. Probably not. This isn't exactly something I've ever experienced before- but that's the point of the blog: to document this process of discovery. I just need to keep pushing through and work toward a goal until I finish. Maybe I'll figure out the right way for me and writing books will become easier and more streamlined for future projects.
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