Yes my friends, I am in the fifth ring of Rewrite Hell. I am guilty of Wrath and Gloom, and for those sins I should be punished.
At first the task of rewriting seemed straightforward enough. Add more historical detail, keep the tone consistent, decide whether the piece was full on Erotica or merely Very Sexy historical romance. I set out, like every naïve pilgrim, thinking that even though the path prove stony, I could surmount any trial with the help of my trusty pen. But then that pen led me astray. It veered off into the path of Wickedness. It started writing new characters and crossing out whole chapters. It introduced emotions and new conflict that were completely inconsistent with the earlier version. In fact, it decided to write an entirely new piece. Hence my descent into the fifth ring.
I have to finish this and send it off. I’ve been stuck here too long. I know parts of it are so much better than the original, but that does me absolutely no good until the damn thing is finished. Oh Wrath! Oh Gloom!
Have any of you been led astray by the very pens you trusted? How did you regain control? Did it work out in the end? Please tell me there is a path out of this hell…
Hee! Poor you. Not to laugh at your pain or anything. The best laid plans of mice and writers, and all that.
Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel (how many cliches *can* I spew forth in one comment?). And you are not being led astray — you are being led HOME, to the place you were supposed to be originally.
Keep at it! You’re almost there!
Yikes! I hate it when my characters derail the story. I once started out writing about an exterminator who was supposed to be a serial killer. He ended up being the nice guy and rescued a cat at the end. Argh! But, that story sold and I’m sure the one I’d planned wouldn’t have.
The end is near–(hopefully), so keep wielding that trusty pen!
Thanks Kerry and Pam. I’m just feeling a little out of control of my story right now. Thanks for the encouragement!
Hmm. Well, you could always try pension processing. Or noodles? Are you eating enough noodles? Noodles always help.
That’s so funny you should say that, Huar. Because I ate noodles not once, but twice yesterday, and they did seem to help. First I had la mian for lunch and then I had udon noodles for dinner. Mmmm.