So if I have all of these drafts of novels, why don't I have anything finished?

There are two problems. The first is that I am have not made the time to do the work needed. Currently the only time I consistently spend on my writing is in November when I am committed to producing new work. I then occasionally have a day that I arrange with my wife so that I can do some writing, but there is no frequent time spent on writing so there is no consistent effort on preparing any of my manuscripts for publication.

The second problem is that I have no idea what I am doing.

Making new words is relatively easy. Refining existing words is real work, and it is the kind of work that takes skill that I do not really have. I can pick holes in grammar, but my perception of problems with plot or characterisation is dim at best.

The hope is that this ritual five minutes will help to prepare myself to make the regular effort which is required for any kind of forward progress, but I still need to figure out how to build a process around editing.

And that's five minutes.

Posted by Dunx at February 4, 2009 07:02 AM