The Writing Moment
Eighteen pages. 5070 words. This is the gist of the chapter in my book which gave me so much trouble.
The chapter is called “Reconciliation”. Consisting of eight sub sections, this part of the story swung back and forth between two points of view.
Man, was editing and revising it a challenge.
I began with reading it after finishing the previous chapters. Right away, my brain was screeching to a halt. A grimace of displeasure spread. This wasn’t working.
Okay, recognizing there’s problem is a good first step. Identifying the problem is the second step. Fixing it is the third step. Then reviewing it to confirm it works is the fourth step.
“Reconciliation” begins on page 532 of 646 manuscript pages. So a lot of the story is well underway by then. Until encountering “Reconciliation”, the editing and revising was going well. I think I owe that to my process. I write and rewrite and polish as I progress. If I’m uncertain about what happens next, I’ll drop back and read and edit until I’m ready to write the next stage. Also, this is the novel’s third official draft. So there’s already been a lot of effort in it.
“Reconciliation” was a whole different animal. The story and the flow balked and balked again. It was like a squeak that must be fixed but first I needed to locate the squeak. I went through that chapter seven times before I was satisfied that I could go on.
The chapter after that, “Camden”, 23 pages, 6400 words, was done in a day.
Yet, with all that whining, editing and revising “Reconciliation” was very satisfying. There was a problem to be fixed. Fingers crossed, that’s what I did.
The Writing Moment
I finished my writing session yesterday and headed off to shop with my wife.
Well, that’s the story. In truth, I continued writing in my head. I’d been editing the novel in progress. After finishing for the day, my mind stayed on tht treadmill. Sentences to add came to me as I studied cat food offerings, strolled along bulk offerings, selected green onions.
I made mental notes to myself. Remember this and that. Would it hold?
Settling in today, I remembered that I’d continue writing in my head. Were they still there?
Yes, they all returned. I pressed into the manuscript to make the changes. Even as I did, I reflected, would I really know if I remembered them all, or is that just another trick of mind?
That’s how writing often seems to be to me: a trick of the mind.
Michael Seidel, writer 