It's hard picking up where you left off.

A few weeks ago, I laid out my plan for getting back into my novel. Read what I have written so far, read my character notes, and press forward. Well I have read my notes, and finished reading the incomplete novel, but I have not written anything new.

The problem I ran into, other than not having much time, is something I warned against... wearing the editor's hat while reading what is written. I saw plot problems and issues that need to be resolved, and it is difficult for me to ignore those problems and press forward as if they were already resolved. At the same time, I am not editing the first part of the novel. I am making no progress at all. The least favorite place for a writer to find himself.

Rather than falling into frustration, I put it aside for a few days and plan to return with a fresh approach. Since I know some of the things that need to change, I will pretend that I have already changed the path of my story. The new pages I write will reflect the new course and ignore the problems that exist in earlier pages. I still don't know exactly how I will start up the story again, but I'm getting closer now.

I will keep you informed on how things are going. If you hit a rough patch, I recommend trying to write anything related to your story. That is what I plan to do now, and weave my way back toward the story.

So until next time, I will start writing and you can keep writing.

www.jhughthomas.com