I’m at that stage in writing that is very difficult. The rough draft is finished but the rewriting is yet to be done. So, in order to do a really good job, I need to distance myself from the project for a while.
Its kind of like fixing a computer. It is amazing how often turning a computer off and unplugging it for a minute fixes a problem. It allows all the extra stuff to clear away, so the computer once again can figure out what to do.
The human brain is also like that. We need to allow our brains a time of rest, a time away. Then we can see our projects with fresh eyes. Oh, and the things we can see then!
And since I’m not a computer one little minute won’t cut it. I need to take at least a week away from a writing project for my brain to reset.
When I’m in the throes of writing, forcing myself to set it aside for an entire week is pure torture. I want to mess with the project, make it better, finish it! So as I attempt to twiddle my thumbs I find they get all twisted up. Instead of twiddling, they want to type.
The other problem I have currently, that I don’t normally have, is that I still have classwork to complete. I’ve done everything for this week except one extra credit assignment. The assignment is to do a major rewrite of the last scene, restructuring the action and rewriting the dialogue.
I would love the extra credit, because hey, I might as well admit that I am motivated by grades. A little bit of cushion wouldn’t hurt.
Besides, I hate leaving anything undone. It feels so…so…so unfinished!
But my gut instinct tells me I should set the script aside and tell my brain to go outside and play.
What to do? What to do?