Although we’re still a couple weeks out from the next Friday the 13th, and Wednesday the 27th just doesn’t have an ominous tone to it, I am a little afraid today.

I haven’t written about it much, but I am still working on The Maze, the third book in my Osteria Chronicles series. I kind of sort of rushed through the second draft because I was knee deep in getting ready for my art exhibit, so in truth the results of Draft #2 weren’t much better than what I had after Draft #1. I did make plenty of notes and raised numerous inconsistency questions, but beyond that the manuscript was still in a rather sad state when I headed into Draft #3 last week.

Prior to starting the third draft, I did answer all the many questions I had (sort of like interviewing myself about the book) and completed the read-throughs of The Trials of Hercules (Book One) and The Voyage (Book Two) to remind myself of certain details about this world I’ve created in my own little head. So I felt like I had laid some strong groundwork for this latest draft.

That feeling wasn’t wrong. I chugged through the first five chapters adding in loads of detail and smoothing out some clunky bits and all that re-write-y stuff. To maintain the momentum of getting through these, I didn’t stop to write a new chapter that needs to be added and I didn’t write out some new scenes that will be injected into a couple of the chapters.

Well, today is the day I need to sit down and write those new bits. And I have to say I’m feeling a little scared.

Yes, since completing the first draft of The Maze I have written some articles and all these many many many blog posts, but it’s been a loooonnnnngggg time since I’ve written any fiction. I’m out of practice and I feel like a runner whose taken months off of her regular training only to find out she has a marathon to do tomorrow.

Luckily, I don’t have to run a writing marathon. Keeping in mind the advice from Hemingway I came across a couple weeks ago, I know I just need to write one sentence. If I can write one sentence, I know I can keep going. I just need to face my fears and conjure up the motivation to write that one sentence.

Thankfully I’ve gotten two doses of gumption this week. In the first, author Carrie Rubin offered up a motivation-inducing post on her Write Transition blog. In the second, the keeper of the Sidereal Catalyst blog, Abigail Zebrowski, not only shared the lovely results of her domestic motivation, but also included a picture of one of my books on her bookshelf. I don’t know why, but something about seeing one of my real-life books in a real-life person’s home has been a true kick in the author pants.

There I am, smack dab in the middle. Image from SiderealCatalyst.com
There I am, smack dab in the middle.
Image from SiderealCatalyst.com

So, wish me luck with that first sentence and all the rest to follow. And, if you happen to have a picture of one of my books on your shelves, why not share it to keep my motivation train chugging!

What’s something you’ve been afraid of starting? What helped you get over the motivational hump?

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13 thoughts on “Writing Time Trepidation”

      1. Writing is a process. I have no idea how you are even able to create such a world as you did with The Osteria Chronicles! That is serious talent, my friend!!!

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  2. I’m working through my third draft now too. The pieces are all there, but I’m trying to pretty everything up for beta readers. Which means I spend far too much time worrying if a sentence is “just right.” Perfectionism is the enemy of done, right?

    Thanks so much for the mention! Much appreciated. And it is exciting to see our books on shelves, isn’t it? Those little motivations fuel us on.

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    1. If a beta reader read mine right now they’d probably revoke my writer’s license! And no problem over the mention…your post came at just the right time :))

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      1. Haha, well, I’m a plotter, so I try to get all the kinks worked out in the outline and first draft. Those are my looooong stages (and the ones where I’d lose my writer’s license!). The rewrites go more quickly.

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      2. I’m a complete plotter myself, but I think gremlins stole some of my scene cards or something because there are serious gaps in the story. Oh, wait, maybe it’s because I rushed the first draft and didn’t fully write out those scenes. Bad writer!!

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  3. Yay! Good luck with your 3rd draft… And how exciting to see your work on someone else’s shelf! I actually started “13th Hour” myself yesterday – weird coincidence, right? The first story made me smile after a loooong day at Other Work, so thank you!

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    1. Glad you liked it. I look back at those old stories from when I first started writing and feel a little awkward about having released them on the public, so it’s good to know they’re not too horrible. 😜😜😋

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      1. Hahaha, no worries there! We’re all so hard on ourselves… Whether we’re writers, artists or makers of monsters. I get the same awkwardness looking back at early Beastie photos, but people still loved them enough to adopt them and bring them home 😀

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