Category Archives: Writing aspect

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing aspect

Is everything you write gold?: Ah, no

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Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Not everything we write is good. Cleaning my office recently, I found manuscripts in various states of completion.

No matter how much I want these projects to make it to the end zone, these WIPs are not worthy. I should chuck them into the trashcan, yet I am unable.

Why do we hold on to these? Why does it feel we are giving a part of ourselves into the trash can?

It all started for me when I began writing. Each word was hard-earned. Removing sentences, paragraphs, and more was something I fought my critique group repeatedly.

One night, the group told me I needed to get rid of two complete chapters.

I looked at my friend Lisa. I remembered something she said. If she disagreed with them, she would nod and let it pass.

Taking a page out of her book, I nodded, knowing that there was no way I was getting rid of two whole chapters. My publisher agreed with me.

It takes quite a bit of time and effort to complete a manuscript. It does not always flow. We will go through many revisions before presenting it to a critique group. Issues we will fight against or for as what should stay or go.

To come across a WIP that I know isn’t going anywhere is not always easy to accept. To get rid of a manuscript, regardless of how long or short, is hard for me.

But I know there are at least two I will shred. I have no desire to work on these manuscripts, little time to do so, and frankly, they are crap.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing aspect

The accumulation of items regardless what your venture is

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With whatever your venture is, that comes the inevitable amount of products associated with them. If you are a painter, you will have paints, brushes, canvases, easels, and more. If you are a photographer, you will have cameras, lenses, tripod, flash, carrying bags, clothes, and more.

It is not different when it comes to writers. One will need a tablet, laptop, or desktop, printer, printer paper, and in my case, notebooks and pens since I do write by hand the majority of my manuscripts.

I have endless books on writing that I go back to often for research and relearning. At the moment, that covers right now three bookcases. Ugh.

As someone who prints out her manuscripts in various stages, I prefer hard copies to edit, those take-up space which means a file cabinet that is chock full of writing implements, hard drives, thumb drives, and handouts.

It goes on and on.

Some of these are necessary. With any venture comes the avalanche of equipment or accessories you will eventually end up needing.

And while my office is getting filled even though it is a decent size office, it is getting filled up.

But it is a comfy office that when I sit back in my chair and look around find it is the right environment for me to be productive as an author.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing aspect

Just finished the 1st draft of my next book

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I been on a writing frenzy for the past week and a half, minus a trip out of state where my husband and I had to spread ashes, making me have 23 chapters of a new book. It is one that I had ponder over in my head. It is a short novel and now the first draft is complete. Committing myself to writing 1000 words each day did the trick.

It has been a while since I wrote daily like I use to in the past. It helps you forget what is going on around you. In an odd way it is a mental break from life.

Writing is a need for those of us who are writers. Regardless how much we write at any sitting just doing it does a body good mentally and physically. This was something I never understood until I began to write.

The new book is volume two to my Squirrel Mafia book that has been received very well. People have asked me repeatedly if I had planned on writing book two. My answer had always been no. That was until they continued to give me information to use to write about. I started to write down topics every time they did something different from what I wrote in book one. The list ended up exploding.

I have also enjoyed editing the first draft. Yes, even I Sharon C. Williams has said those hated words out loud and have told someone as well. I am enjoying editing a book. I hate editing like it is a fire in my gut. But right now I am having soooooo much fun.

I will need to work on revising soon and getting it reviewed by my critique group. But this has been a project I am absolutely enjoying.