The other thing is that it is often the same people asking me each week. So I feel a pressure to give them a different answer than the last one despite the fact that usually all a writer does is write. It’s the same activity over and over. I feel like that if I can’t give an answer that shows progress I will disappoint them and/or I feel like a failure. That is a separate issue. Progress and failure. What everybody wants and avoids respectively. Some things just can’t be measured in a linear way and that is especially true of writing and living. We age linearly, but we not mature linearly. Growing as person, character, integrity, and all of that stuff is a choice that is followed by action and not everyone goes for it.
I am making progress, lots of it, just not in a way that is easily explained to a non-writer. So when I give them the same answer this week I will just have to know for myself that I am not a failure. Actually I am on the verge of great change and break through. The more I write the more I improve, I can’t mess this up. If I can convey my excitement then maybe I will distract from the stock phrase, “It’s going great!”
Editing and rewriting is a very slow process. I love rewriting because it allows me to be very intentional about my choices now that I know the story in full. However, for any writer that likes to get a sense of achievement from their increasing word count, rewriting will be a huge hurdle. This week I haven’t actually written anything. I have two scenes printed out that I carry around and contemplate in those in between moments like while riding the train and trying to go to sleep. Mulling is a vital part of my writing process, but it does not involve any writing. In four to six weeks it will hit me and the re-writing will begin again.
For now, in case anyone asks: I am working on my sixth draft and I hope to have it ready for submission soon. Thank you for asking.