work in progress

‘Killing your darlings’, is not as some people think, simply to do with removing characters from a story. It also relates to sentences, paragraphs, entire chapters, and sub-plots. If you ever ponder whether you’re a lazy writer, ask yourself if you’re keeping any of the aforementioned simply because you like them, or because of the effort they took in creation.

This is my first post of 2023, and it’s been delayed for a good reason. During 2021, I announced the existence of my latest hero, Detective Sergeant Jason Knight aka Crusader. As usual, I had other stories in progress, so this new tale was fitted in, and I continued to move regularly from one story to another.

I’d written ten chapters of Crusader before it dawned on me that Jason’s new partner, Constance, was stealing the show. My vision for my main character had been clear, but as strong characters do, Constance made herself omnipresent. A lot of work had gone into those first ten chapters, so I put the story away for a few weeks and worked on other projects.

I returned to Crusader, and with the same panache that my main character might slay a violent criminal, I reread my new creation. The task was based on a simple palette. Black coffee to hand, my red pen at the ready, and a ruthless black and white approach to my task. This was to prove a test of wills between me and my characters, so there could be no grey areas … a chunk of hard-won writing went, or it stayed. Moving around can be done anytime.

What was the result?

It took two days to achieve my aim. As any half-decent writer knows, it’s not advisable to delete something that could be useful for something else. I removed three complete chapters, and large sections from a couple of others, and put them in a holding file. A single read through was enough to give me an idea for the name of the file—Constance: Crusader Part 2.

I left the revised version of Crusader to rest while I adjusted my thinking for the story.

‘Killing your darlings’ doesn’t mean destroying what you’ve created. If you take time to consider your options, and you’re not afraid of hard work, it could be looked at as ‘redeveloping your darlings’. It doesn’t sound as terminal, and it offers the opportunity of producing something new, like a Phoenix from the flames.

How have things moved on with Crusader, the original idea?

It’s been almost eighteen months since I wrote the opening lines of the story. I completed my most recent edit two days ago, and at present Crusader stands at 112k words. After a few more brutal editing sessions I’ll offer it up for beta reading, possibly in late February. I aim to publish in mid March 2023.

Thank you for taking an interest in my work, and, as always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

You’ll be aware of the paradoxical phrase, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’. There are variations but they all aim to suggest one thing, which is that a person with a heavy schedule is more likely to add and complete an additional task. That type of person is also more likely to either accept the extra work or say that they’re unable to help.

What is the main thrust of the phrase and the theory behind acceptance or refusal?

The busy person will not let you down by accepting and failing to complete. If they don’t believe that they can include the task into their schedule they’ll say so, rather than let you down by not succeeding.

Where does this fit in with being an author?

It depends to a fair extent on the type of person you are, and not the type of author. Writing, after all is one aspect of a lifestyle, even if that person is an author. Now, let’s look at this a bit more closely, and as authors do, I’ll use what I know best … my own case.

When I started out into the world of writing I got underway with a poem or short story, and I would labour over one piece at a time. I could stare at a notepad, or a screen, and yes, I would get the job done, but it was soul-destroying at times. When I moved on to writing novels I found a similar ‘block’ effect, whereby I would write three or perhaps four chapters and then … nothing.

My life as an author became more productive and therefore more enjoyable when I came up with the idea of ‘resting’ a piece of work if I got stuck.

How does that equate to productivity and enjoyment?

I saved and left the troublesome piece on file, and got underway with another story. Over the years I’ve become proficient at maintaining multiple Work in Progress. Apart from creating the choice of which story to work on, I believe that this method alleviates an issue that many authors learn to deal with in different ways.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re writing a story and at a certain stage you go off on a tangent or your mind wanders while you’re taking a break. For some writers, the natural response is to shrug off the thought, believing that it will come back to you later. Other writers might find themselves with something akin to an ear-worm which is ever present while they try to work. I don’t rely on remembering the passing idea. Attempting to work on a story with another firm idea on my mind would be distracting.

I open a new file and write the opening line, title, theme or whatever had presented itself. A good technique I’ve discovered for preserving a fresh idea and moving on, is to create a working title, and write a strap-line or brief blurb.

Giving an additional task to a ‘busy’ person is not an exact science, it is a notion based on human nature and personality types. I believe that most authors may consider themselves as that busy person, and therefore ought to try the method I’ve found successful. When you’re stuck for whatever reason, don’t procrastinate until the active piece of work becomes an irritation, try to relax and let your mind wander. You might come up with your next project.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and theories.

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