Before
completing my manuscript and sending it off for the first rounds of edits I was
having a hard time finishing it. Here is my reasoning.
I’m
ashamed to admit I have been avoiding my novel. I sit down to write, clicking
the word document entitled WIP, then something happens like I realize my dog
needs fresh water, or I need to clean out my car at that very instance and I
walk away. The next day I repeat my steps, and just reach for the red X in the
upper right hand corner, this time without any excuse besides I don’t want to –
can’t say goodbye to my characters.
They're kind of bossy like that.
And I all love them for that, of course - even the assholes. Especially the assholes. They are my snotty nosed kids, in the sense that they were conceived in my minds. And they have become my closest friends - perhaps even closer, because I know everything about them and they can’t nor want to hid anything from me (and who can say that about a real person?) And they know everything about me as well, living inside my twisted mind and all, yet they don’t avoid my eye contact because they know my lofty dreams, and greatest fears.
I
understand how unhealthy this all sounds and after crapping out an unnecessary
line or two I realized that I have to let go. Not for my own sanity, I lost
that years ago, but for theirs. The strong willed characters in my head won’t
stand for the muddling of their life for my own selfish reasons. The ransom has
been paid now they demand release – I told you they were pushy. So I power up
my laptop determined to finish their story, not to be derailed, or lose focus
because as much as I have grown to love them, my characters deserve to be
shared with the world and to boss someone else around.
