I’m a big proponent of the idea that we teach what we most need to know, so today I’m starting today to log my progress publicly. See, I wrote a complete book 20 years ago in 3 days flat. And I know there is so much good stuff there. There have been other book drafts and outlines since then, but seriously, I need to finish something.
And every time I sit down to organize, I wind up adding narrative to my work. I love writing, it flows. Editing, not so much. If I did this unattended, the thing may bloat past 1000 pages, and really, who needs that?
People’s attention spans are shrinking.
Thank you very little internet.
I also got a touch stuck. Second drafts are a bear, and I wasn’t sure how to organize the material and change names to protect the innocent (and guilty, because for some reason, I do that too). Honestly, how do you crunch an episodic narrative that spans 3 generations with call backs to reproducing priests in the Renaissance and somehow get it to a place where you are not embarrassed to submit it?
Oh yes, and keep your unique voice too?
I’ve considered using Claude to help me organize, but that is distasteful for a thousand reasons. I’ve loaded in Scribner– which is amazing– but the energy to use it well engages my systems-tech mind, not my storytelling or editing mind. I’ve considered postcards, but only have so much physical space to lay those things out.
Really, I need to put on my CEO hat and make a decision about approach, and physical space to work the sprawl. I need a map of characters too, lest the thing devolve into a wicked pool of complicated personalities.
Again, no one needs that either: a wicked pool, that is. Thinking of you Robyn, and wishing you and Ed the best.
I know some pretty amazing authors, in all kinds of fields, who write and publish their books. And everyone’s approach is different. Most have support, even when self-publishing. Some are just naturally gifted, many have students, followers, proteges, and/or interns who help.
Because many teach what they do, they have students who love to help (and apparently have loads of free time). More power to ’em. I don’t teach. I also don’t know editors with loads of free time.
I also like to pay people who help me. But alas, this has only gotten me so far. I’m going to have to help myself here.
Step one today is to touch the distasteful for the sake of moving forward:
Feed the material into AI, with memory commands to NEVER alter my writing or word order, Nor feed it back into the LLM machine. And ask it to produce a list of characters (taking names baby!) so I can begin the mapping and get a birds eye view on what’s there.
Also to ask for an outline of the book chapters and chunks, since I wrote it straight through.
I’ll be tagging these posts “book log” for pulling them out later.
I’m not sure this is the way, but there’s only so much longer I want to wait on this project. I’ve got a career to rebuild too.
Wish me luck, – Elizabeth