Five days after I took a break from writing to concentrate on reading for a little while, I got back to writing today and was able to pick up right where I left off.
This new story is coming to me so easily at this point I wonder if a) I should just give up on that other story that was so hard and frustrating for me to write, b) I should go back to that other story after a long break and try again or c) the story I'm writing must not be very good if it's not a big struggle.
I've read that for many writers each of their stories is a major struggle and every book is a torturous, but ultimately rewarding, experience. Then I read about writers who are extremely prolific, like Stephen King, who really don't struggle that much. The stories just come to them as they go, though they do read and rewrite several times once the major elements of the book are written.
The first book I completed wasn't the first book I started. It was the third. I gave up on the first one about 150 pages or so into it when the main character's voice wasn't ringing true. The second one is the one I went back to after finishing the third book and have once again put on hold to work on what is actually my fifth attempt at a book.
The fourth one I started is on hold, because I've had other stories I've chosen to focus on. I have the first chapter or two written and a detailed outline for the rest. It's semi-autobiographical, so it's much easier to picture the story and characters. It's a story I started based on a writing exercise in Writer's Digest and I want to see if I can finish it someday, but the fifth book is the story that's most interesting to me at the moment.
So, it's almost 10:30 on a Saturday night after I've been running around with my almost 4-year-old-son all day, so I better get back to working on book no. 5 before I start to fall asleep. Good night!
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