I have a book due this week. This isn’t a particularly long book – only about 4000 words. But therein lies part of the problem. I have so much information to work into such a small space!
As I write, I realize that one section is too long. As in, it is about twice as long as it should be. Maybe I should edit instead of moving forward, but I don’t. I keep going knowing that I will have to edit heavily on Tuesday.
But there are also places where I realize that I have let information out. This is a book that provides an overview of several different cultural groups at various points in time. I’ve done a good job at anchoring them in time. “They all share x, y and z features.”
As I finished chapter 2, I realized that I did a very mediocre job of narrowing the setting. All of the cultures are in the Americas but from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, that’s a lot of territory.
Did I go back and fix these mistakes or move forward? I moved forward. But I did take the time to write myself a note. My notes so far say things like:
- Where did they live? Be specific?
- Year?
- Define.
- How does this relate to the previous section?
I don’t want to interrupt my forward momentum but I also don’t want to forget the things that I know I have to fix. These notes aren’t on a piece of paper but within the body of the text. And I highlight them in yellow. That way they are easy to spot, don’t add to my wordcount, and my editor doesn’t find one of them in the final text!
As I cut, I also look for places that I can wedge more details into the text. It seems counterproductive but I look for generalities. I don’t want to say that someone ate root vegetables. I want to say what root vegetables. Why say that they used stone tools when I can say that they used a stone axe of basalt? Did you see what I did there? I’ve worked in both the type of tool and the stone.
I’m going to have to revise. There’s no way around that. But these notes help me keep moving forward while also acting as a reminder when I’m ready to start tightening and shaping my work.
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 