So it appears that, for a novella, the I hate this pile of absolute, stinking dreck mode wants to hit about 5000 words in. Interesting.
Basically, it’s only been the last year or so that I’ve been playing with drafting and writing novellas. The pacing is–different. By now, when it comes to a full-blown novel of about 100,000 words, I’ve got a certain comfort level as to where what plot element is going to go when, and just about how many words I want to develop a particular scene sequence in, and just when the blahs strike. But this is the third novella-type project I’ve developed, and I’m only now seeing how and where and why I struggle with it. Trying to find just enough complexity without overloading the plot is the big challenge.
I’m also writing a whimsical sort of quasi-young adult-themed story here as well, involving magic and sewing and coming-of-age-against-odds plot tropes. It’s out of my usual element, but it’s a story I want to tell. I developed the idea from another story that got rejected, so it’s also a redesign project. I’ve done that type of blow it up, redesign it, and recast the tale sort of writing before. Just not at this length.
So it’s a learning curve, but because I’ve been wrestling with Andrews Ranch, I realized where the problem spot is. At this point the goal is to press on through, get the words down, insert brackets bemoaning a particularly infodumpy and clunky section to rewrite later, and plan on extensive rewrites. The story is twisting and changing as it comes out, and it’s damnably unruly right now.
Feh. Doesn’t mean it’s an easy process.
A complicating factor is that I took on some additional contract work at the Day Jobbe. It’s nice to have, but very intense and exhausting. I leave early on those days and don’t get many words in before I go, and when I return, I’m usually so wiped out I can’t write. Ah well, it’s half over. I’m glad for it, but–it adds to the distraction for this work.
So goeth the writing life. I have other things to write so this needs to get done in first draft. Then I can work on something else and get perspective on this one.
Still, it’s definitely a spell where I’m at grrr–I hate this story mode.
Pfui.
