I've been trying to finish writing my book for a while now. The last couple of weeks I've been having some trouble finding inspiration. I had my fiance read what I'd written so far. He said it was good and he looked forward to more. I tried to continue the story after his review but it just wasn't happening. Something wasn't clicking.
I meditated on this last night and came to a conclusion: I spend too much time focusing on, "Is this story good enough for publishing?" I should be writing this book for myself, not for any success that comes with it. I mean, the success will be nice (and I believe it's possible) but the real satisfying part? Finally finishing the book. It will be a huge sense of accomplishment and will help set the way for many more writing accomplishments.
I thought about it a little bit more on some down time during my day. This book that I'm working on is over ten years old and it's been through some major plot overhauls. Today I realized that I'd lost the original idea, the original feelings, the original inspiration when I came up with the story idea. These thoughts made me realize what the problem was. The story was lacking heart. Yes, I was writing good scenes with the right kind of action but it wasn't really the story of my characters. Somewhere along the way of rethinking and overhauling I'd lost the voice of my main characters, the heart of those characters, and the experiences they need to be sharing.
At that moment, everything clicked into place. Luckily I had paper on hand and jotted down my notes. It was fantastic! I feel exhilarated and excited and ready to write! I know that this is what I need in order to get it done. And it will be finished. I know that for certain.
You have been saying it. And you're right, you can suggest all that you want (and I both love and am grateful for all the years of support) but sometimes things have to click in place for me or I have to realize them on my own terms. I've done this with Chris too so you're not alone.
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