lkh_lashouts | On Non-Editing and the Chore of Writing

In which LKH continues to talk about her writing (which doesn't need editing) and how little fun she has writing these days.

LKH is in bold font. I'm in regular.

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We start with La Laurelle writing about how she's anxious and not knowing why. She thinks it can be traced to her puppy, Pippin, who doesn't like thunderstorms.

I'm actually beginning to think that I'm picking up on his anxiety. I know, I know, weird, but I'm still beginning to think it's true.

If you keep reading, you'll see that she has plenty of things to feel anxious about, and they have nothing to do with Pippin or thunderstorms.

I was fine until the puppy decided to be a canine limpet and attache himself to me.

I spent a few moments imagining Pippin as a cultural attaché on a diplomatic mission from Dogdom.

But I can't in good conscience make him move, because I know that the close proximity makes him feel better.

As opposed to what? The FAR proximity? Sheesh. Paging the Department of Redundancy Department...

Earlier today I finely got SWALLOWING DARKNESS back out.

I know that she means "finally," but I rather like the idea of her getting Swallowing Darkness out in tiny, granular pieces.

It was time. I was all prepared to decide how much to cut. I'd estimated loosing at least forty pages. But strangely, when I reread things, I didn't need to loose anything.

Leaving aside the whole "loose/lose" issue (which I learned in second grade), every work can be improved by rewriting. In On Writing, Stephen King mentions a piece of handwritten advice that he got on a rejection slip:

"Not bad, but PUFFY. You need to revise for length. Formula: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%. Good luck."

King says that this advice changed his writing forever. Would that it would change the Speshul Snowflake's.

This is where it gets interesting. Not only has she decided not to edit, but she gets defensive about it. For no reason.

I'm not wrong on where the book needs to go and what needs to happen here. I was wrong about what the outcome will be of the events for the next few books, but I'm not wrong about this fight. We need it, and we need it here.

"I was wrong about what the outcome will be of the events...?" Oh, God! March of the elephants! Is the woman completely deaf to the rhythm of a sentence?

Unless I'm wrong, this is the same scene that she's been blathering about for weeks, the scene that she couldn't see because she couldn't feel Merry's hand on the hilt of her sword, the one that she decided wasn't going to be a fight scene because Merry had figured out how to leave safely. Now we're back to the big fight scene again. Sheesh.

It's time for Merry and her guys to show everyone that,

Delete comma.

they might, just might, be picking more of a fight than they bargained for.

This was originally supposed to be a fight where one of Merry's merry men dies. Then it was going to be a scene where one of the villains died. Now, apparently, the Fairy Sue and her minions are going to kick collective villain ass.

My first reaction was, "Ho-hum. Merry Gentry IS Anita Blake. Well, we all knew that, didn't we?"

I'm supposed to be working on Anita right now, but my head really isn't into it.

I think that her heart isn't really in it. She sounds sick of writing, and yet she can't stop, because if she does, she won't be special anymore.

I think I may have a second short piece moving liquid in my head.

I read this as, "A second short story is giving me water on the brain."

The idea was that the second writing session of the day was about fun, and working on whatever I wanted to work on, not about deadlines. But I keep falling back into the habit of making it all about work, and not about play.

And again—-the writing isn't fun. It's not something she wants to do; it's not something she feels driven to do. It's just an unpleasant chore. Boo-hoo. Poor her.

What do I want to play today?

Solitaire?

Is it time to actually just open up a blank file and see what my muse is trying to tell me? If I do, then it will be the first time in over ten years, maybe longer, that I've given myself that kind of freedom.

BZUH? I'm always opening new files and starting new stories! Every writer I know, amateur and professional, does this. And she hasn't wanted to open a file and begin a new story in TEN YEARS?

Laurell, honey, it's time that you looked into a new profession. Because writing is clearly not working for you anymore.

Hmm, wonder what it will feel like? Best to find out. Maybe it will be another short story, or another novel-lite,

I think that she means "novelette." And that she thinks she's being cute.

or some idea that's been bubbling around in my imagination,

Delete comma.

that's finally ready to talk to me.

Great. It's not just muses and characters that talk to her. Now ideas talk to her too.

I'll leave Anita, Edward, Olaf, and Bernardo,

Delete comma.

on the sidewalk in the summer heat. We can question people tomorrow,

I have a terrible feeling that "we" means Anita and herself.

after I start the big fight at the end of DARKNESS.

She's been talking about the fight scene since March and drawing close to the end of Swallowing Darkness since February. Do you get the feeling she's having just a little trouble with this book?

Fun day tomorrow, but right now, I'm going to go play.

Just no sexual play in this story, Laurell. Seriously, I think you're suffering from Excess of Porn.