Writing Plus Time

               Have you ever been in that wonderful state of writing when everything comes together perfectly?  You can hardly type fast enough because it’s all clicking, words are flowing, and you’re almost euphoric with the pleasure of creativity.  Where do these brilliant ideas, these clever descriptions come from?  No matter; they’re yours and you’re in the zone, churning out page after page of fabulous material.  It’s not as common as we’d like, but most of us have experienced this blissful phenomenon.

                Well, not to burst your bubble, but-- POP!  We need to take a breath here.  Even when you’ve just completed the best stuff you’ve ever written, let me urge you to set it aside for at least a day.  Don’t send it right out; sleep on it.  Come back with new eyes.  Even your most wondrous efforts might need a final polish.  Beginning writers hate to rewrite and fall quickly in love with something, simply because it’s their best so far.  But your best doesn’t necessarily mean publishable.  Even a page that makes you cry with pride could probably use some careful editing.  So give it its due and don’t shortchange it by sending it out prematurely.

                It’s also good to take another look at something you wrote years ago—something you thought was great—but which reads immature now, unsophisticated.  This is a good indication that you’re still growing, but also that you need to let a piece marinate for awhile before you pronounced it finished.

                Here’s how to do it.  Once you’ve completed your day’s work, shut down not only the computer, but the gears that have been turning to create your project.  Get involved in something completely different—get out of the house or office, talk to people, play a sport, watch a movie, do whatever it takes to force your brain to forget about the details of your manuscript.  Don’t keep coming back to it in your thoughts; really take a vacation from it.

Then, tomorrow, look at it as if you’re another person, reading it for the first time.  Read slowly.  Make notes where there were sticky spots, or where you had questions and needed more explanation (or less).  Make changes and do some buffing.  Now set it aside again for an hour or two, then come back refreshed later in the day.  Does it still sing?  Or are you beginning to wonder why you were so giddy yesterday?  Until you truly hit your stride and find your voice, you will find moments of disappointment when your writing isn’t consistent—the part you wrote yesterday has a different pacing and feel to it, than the parts you wrote last week.  Or a second reading is decidedly less exciting, and you realize you weren’t seeing it through rational eyes that first time.

This is normal.  This is part of the writing process.  And it does get better with time.  But accept that your judgment can be skewed by the thrill of the task, and be prepared to roll up your sleeves and go over it again.  If you can find a trusted friend or relative (spouses often find themselves in this role), get them to read it as objectively as they can, and give you some feedback.  I never send out anything my husband hasn’t read, and usually with my request to “see if the ending works” or “see if that second paragraph makes sense.”  It’s simply a good idea to get another pair of eyes to look at it.

 Like making a cake and forgetting the sugar, you don’t want to be in such a rush that you forget the essential ingredient of time. Sometimes that provides exactly the level of professionalism you want, before you serve it up to your waiting audience.