Having finished a larger chunk of official work, yesterday I returned to writing Halo. I did not write much, I added just a few lines.
When I was done (and my family did not let me go on with my writing any longer...arrgh...) I noticed that these lines might just as well be suitable for my other, long-neglected WIP.
It makes me uneasy.
It makes me feel that there are similarities between the two works.
To be honest, there are similarities and I knew them right from the start.
Or almost from the start.
I'm determined to finish off Halo first, but those lines felt somehow too good for it.
Then I felt ashamed.
Is there a thing as too good in writing?
Isn't it that the writer has to write up to his upmost capacity and bring out all the feelings he has inside and master it with practical skills up to his best knowledge?
If a line, or a paragraph feels awesome and great - that is how it should be, isn't it?
One should not save a great paragraph for just in case - should he?
For later works?
For whatever might come along the way?
9 comments:
If they don't fit well with Halo, that's one thing. Then perhaps they belong in the other work. Perhaps your subconscious was mentally working on the other piece.
But.
There's nothing wrong with repetition either.
Trouble is Bernita, that is fits Halo just as much as it fits Copper Moon. It seems that either
1.) I don't have wide scope of characters and events since both MCs are somehow troubled
OR 2.) there's only one story.
But you know what, I take you advice and go with option #3., that is I don't care aboout points 1 and 2.
I write both according to my best and se how they go.
I can always delete anything :)
Just leave them were they are for now. You can always decide later if they belong there. The lovely thing about lines is, that you can make varieties of them for other work.
My post a few days ago was exactly from that kind of file, saved bits and pieces of stuff that I liked but ended up either not fitting stories or not going anywhere as stories themselves.
What's that line from the O.J. Simpson trial--"If it doens't fit, you must acquit." If it does fit, go ahead and use it.
There's no such thing as too good, unless the passage really belongs somewhere else.
I say use it. Carpe Diem. Seize the Day.
I wouldn't worry about it because then it would be your motto or whatever. For example Cato always said "Carthage must be destroyed" at the end of his speeches.
Middle Ditch,
thanks for visiting my second blog. This is only the first draft and yes, I think I can take those lines out anyway...I will have to see once the whole thing is ready for a first revision.
Charles,
There are lines and ideas and pieces of plots that just do not seem to fit anywhere. What I have now is a small bunch of lines that fit into both of my WIPs.
It will be a dicision I make once I'm finished - perhaps with both.
Thanks God I'm not a professional writer, urged to finish by smoe agent and/or deadline....
Billy,
I like Carpe Diem. And I usually live by the opposite. But writing is different. Why not use it? No-one will get harmed if a writing is too good. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying my work will be a breakthrough in the history of writing. More than far from it. But for me, my writing is special and is important.
Ropi,
I see. Nice idea.
I think most writers have some sort of an idea that comes accross most of their pieces. Like a trademark. Well, who knows...?
I have a whole box full of good ideas, good paragraphs just waiting for their moment, but if you can fit it in, that's great! There's nothing to stop you using it twice in different contexts...
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