Sometimes Imagination Goes Into Hiding

Now that LACE CURTAIN IRISH is out in the world, and the manuscript I was working on after Newcastlewest Books picked up the novel is edited and resting, I've gone back to work on an idea I had some time ago.

There's a rough outline of a narrative arc, the characters are alive in my head, and I know where the story is going.

It's the getting there that's a fleeting fantasy in my head.

As usual, the story tumbles around and tells itself, which makes it very distracting when I'm driving.

What's happening this time around is that I sit down to write the words that are just waiting to be put on paper, and before long, the string dies out and I'm left there to stare at a blank sheet of paper.

I think it's a case of over-thinking.

After going through edits on LACE CURTAIN IRISH, I learned some things about writing and the construction of a novel. Certain things have to happen by a certain time or the reader will lose interest. Characters that pop up over the course of the narrative have to pop up often enough for the reader to remember them, who they are, why they matter.

Instead of just telling the story, I find that I'm getting hung up by my inner editor.

It's a fight to beat that editor back into submission, but I'm working on it. That's the goal for this weekend. Get past the sticking points, concentrate on writing without worrying about the details, and send that inner editor a pink slip.

You're fired. Now let's write.