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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Insecure Writer's Support Group: The Never-Ending Manuscript!!


IWSG


'Tis the first Wednesday of the month., that means another 'Insecure Writer's Support Group' post, a group created by Alex Cavanaugh.

It's already October ... hard to believe. Where has the time gone?

My main insecurity as a writer this month is that I don't think I'll EVER finish my manuscript to the point where it's polished enough to send out to an agent and/or publisher. The first draft is done, and for the last 8 months I've been editing the heck out of the thing, but I'm not even half way through the manuscript edits. Granted, these are major edits, but it just seems like it's taking forever.

Life gets in the way. Fatigue gets in the way. And sometimes my lack of motivation gets in the way. Even when I try to work on short stories to feel like I've completed something, by the time I take them to my writer's group, I just see more things I need to work on.

It just seems like there are a whole bunch of incomplete projects on my desk, and I'm just discouraged at how long it's taking to get them done, because as writers, we know when our work is done, when it's the best we can possibly do with the work, when our writing 'sings' to us and resonates. That's when we feel confident sending it off into the big world.

Yeah... I'm not there yet. At this rate, I'll be lucky if I submit this manuscript by the time I'm 75 (okay, so maybe a slight exaggeration there, but hopefully you get the point).

11 comments:

  1. Hi Siobhan! I just discovered your blog through the IWSG. I can totally relate to this, I think editing is a nightmare. But you'll get there, I'm sure! :)

    It's great to meet you!

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  2. Gaaaaaaah... it's SO TRUE...

    But it WILL happen. It's crazy how when you just do a little bit here and there, it magically comes together. Even though it feels like an ETERNITY. Love this post, Siobhan. It totally resonates!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Morgan. One day, magically, I'll not only have a manuscript, but a good one (I hope)! I guess I would rather spend more time doing the best I can on one manuscript than complete a bunch of mediocre ones.

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  3. Walking away and coming back -- you will do that a number of times but eventually you will get it to where you want it to be.

    "when our writing 'sings' to us and resonates"

    No matter how long it takes, you've answered you're own question.
    Stick with it, you'll be glad you did!

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  4. Oh goodness, you and I could be the same person! Fatigue, lack of time, lack of motivation... gah! There's so often something that gets in the way and it makes me so disheartened! Plug away at it - I'm sure you'll get to that point where it sings to you or you'll have a 'eureka' moment about what needs to change. Best of luck :-)

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  5. Hi Linda. Seems like we're kindred spirits when it comes to writing and obstacles ;) Guess that's all we can do is plug away, even if it's a few sentences a day. One thing this journey is teaching me is patience and appreciation of the work itself instead of instant gratification.

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  6. Wow! I know exactly how you feel. I'm stuck in a cycle of revision that seems never ending and yet, I keep thinking I'm "almost" done . . .soon, I hope.

    Best wishes on the daily journey! Just keep writing!

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  7. I totally get it. But you know what, you can do it. Just keep on writing and you'll get to where you want to be. :)

    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  8. I've been working on my latest WIP for what seems forever. It's over a year, and in publishing that's way too long. So, even an ole girl like me understands how you feel, Siobhan. But it'll happen. Time's like that. Whether we want it to or not, it keeps on ticking. Happy IWSG. I'm #192 on Alex's list.

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