009-The Waiting
“I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” —Abraham Lincoln
The waiting is the hardest part. Hurry up and wait. Times-a-wastin’.
Whether from Tom Petty, Hollywood types, or an employer, the lines are familiar. We’re bred into a culture where the early bird gets the worm, where we can kill two birds with one stone, where we lose if we snooze.
This may be a first for this blog, but fuck that. (I’ve said it, and now we’ve officially crossed the bridge…welcome). I mean it, it’s a giant load of shit designed to place us exactly where we’ve arrived in our society…in a world where we’re leaving obvious automatic out-of-office replies over the weekend from our automatic mailboxes that are carried around by us and still responded to when we’re supposed to be away…off…done, because we’re worried to miss something, worried to not be first, or fast enough, scared to make someone frigging WAIT. (Full disclosure, I just reached down to my hip and had no idea that my work phone was on and still in my pocket, three hours after I clocked out).
Unfortunately, this feels like it could be legitimate.
I’ve made a personal push this year to say ‘no’ more often, first and foremost for greater balance, secondly to say ‘yes’ to more things that will benefit my well-being, my peace of mind, my ability to produce at a pace that I’m comfortable and happy with. And since this is ultimately my blog about writing, I’m going to attempt to parallel these thoughts with my recent creative works.
I finished the manuscript of my novel around April of this year. Great, done! Right? Hell no. But what do I do with it? I can print it out and show it off, have people read it and either attempt selling or publishing!
Well, I got as far as printing it out. Fact of the matter is that sucker needs to sit for quite a while. Some say two weeks, others say a month, two months, three months. I say 45-60 days. You need a fresh mind and new eyes to objectively read something that already came out of your brain. Lo and behold, that first draft is likely garbage, but beginning to read it right after writing ‘The End’ will very likely result in a worse product. Approximately two months seems to do the trick for me.
Writing and reading is a bizarre thing. Placing words on a page or screen, creating a vision from your head into the minds of others who are essentially attempting to conjure your own vision? That’s some wizard shit right there, and you need to ensure that your vision is as complete in their head as it is in yours.
I’ve made multiple rounds of edits right on my novel, and that has taken months. Do I think it’s capable of being self-published and enjoyed? I do. Do I think I’ve fully conjured the film in my head, along with all the ideas, constructs, and themes I intended it to? Almost.
Here’s where the crazy newness comes in. I have the novel out in the hands of beta readers. More on that in a future blog, but the wild part is I’m not only waiting to take the next step in the completion of the novel, but the waiting is out of my hands! Am I due to start asking for updates, maybe adding a few extra readers into the mix? Sure, but there’s a few other layers to peel back here, the first one being…
There’s other shit to do. Do I want to take the next step? Of course! Am I working on this blog? More short stories? Trying to keep up the website, editing a novel for a family member? Working on other novels? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. I would have a lot of trouble continuing to think of myself as a writer by completing one novel manuscript, and then what? Stopping altogether? Twiddling my thumbs in hopes that multiple read novels will land on my lap, rousing compliments without an ounce of criticism? Granted, it is the main project, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with getting other works into the same arena of editing, modifying, improving…and waiting.
Now for the second layer, which starts to tie this all together…
You and I owe NOBODY an excuse, explanation, or auto-reply to say you’re between projects, aren’t one-hundred percent sure if you should keep waiting for a next step, or simply haven’t had it in you lately to develop something new. Allowing our minds and our projects to BREATHE is still a form of creating inspiration, and can be fueled by the slightest of things, some that I’ve detailed in past blogs (feel free to peruse). We owe it to ourselves to shut off, to let someone else get the worm—screw that, to understand that the worm may have never been that frigging important to start with or was always intended to belong to someone else. Patience with our works also allows you to be a better writer and create a better product and vision, while providing the grace and forgiveness needed for clear, refreshed, and invigorated minds.
Thank you for letting me get this one out, it’s been a bit more therapeutic than most. I hope you all allow yourself patience and time for yourselves and your works.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts! Do you remain patient with your works? Have an allotted time you set aside for your projects? Comment below, or reach out to me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at ajcharleswriter.
If you’d like to be featured in a discussion about your own writing and creative projects, reach out to me!