Le weekend

It's Saturday and I woke up at 6:35, just like that. Why can't I wake up during the week feeling that wide-eyed and bushy tailed? It is a mystery. I managed to get a story finished and off for comments this morning. I was feeling procrastinatory (is that a word?) but I put myself on a timer and ended up just writing until the time ran out. At the end of the session, I had a completed first draft.

The hard part about writing, I think, is getting started. First drafts are never pretty or easy; I don't believe anyone who says they are. First drafts mean getting the stuff out there, ignoring the inconsistencies, the weird sentence formations and imagery, and wildly out of character moments. First drafts have a lot to do with swallowing pride and just getting the words and gist of the story out there. Draft two is the nuts and bolts, fixing the major plot issues and refining the prose. Draft three, I think, is where everything needs to come together and draft four is the final. Of course, not everyone works this way -- I think writing is very individual and some people are happy with just two drafts. I'm never happy. It's a big reason why I don't re-read my older stuff -- I see Bad Things (tm).

That being said, I feel good about having a first draft of a story that I could think about submitting for a sale. I really want to concentrate on writing professionally and that may mean I can't spend as much time writing for fun. It's a weird shift in mindset, but I think it's a necessary one and I've noticed other fanficcers taking that step -- to focus on professional publication versus spending time writing stories that won't sell. I've learned a lot from fanfic and it's a far cry to say I'm retiring; I refuse to say that. If a fic comes to mind and I have to write it and it doesn't take time from my professional aspirations, then yes, I will write it; it's just no longer going to be my focus.