48 days, day 4: a crummy draft

{{ I am chronicling 48 days of writing before my July 31 travel. If you are chronicling your summer writing/days and would like to share, please link or comment so we can all cheer one another through. Strength to your sword arm! }}}
96 degrees in the shade at 5pm today. Gus is hanging out under the ferns.

How did I get so much done today? Remember this, sister, when you wail about the days when nothing seems to get done. Nothing is wasted. Remember that, too.

I have a really crummy, really awful, really unsellable draft of a story about Rachel Carson. I've been writing this book since 1999. I've had probably 20 drafts over the years, and maybe a dozen of them survive. Okay, a half-dozen.

If I truly believe that I'm writing even when everything is percolating, then I've been trying to get at this latest draft for about 16 years. I do believe that. Sometimes it takes TIME. And things change. You change. How you see the story changes. How picture books are written and sold changes. Editors move or age up or down or out or in -- whatever. There are so many variables. Yes?

Whatever the case, this morning I sat down and wrote from beginning to end, all of it, all over again. The story is so much a part of me by now, I knew my direction. And, after spending so much time with 4-year-old Abigail, reading so many books, and getting to know her sensibilities so very well, the way I approach a picture book reader/listener is different.

So my rhythm and tone and plot and language -- everything is different about this very same story.

At lunchtime, I read what I had to Jim, and I heard how clunky and awful it is. How many holes there are. (I actually write "DETAIL HERE" or "BLAH BLAH BLAH.") But I am just ebullient! I have a draft! A draft! I can do something with that. (Or not... I have a bunch more of these where that one came from... ha.)

I prefaced my reading by telling Jim about Rachel Carson -- setting up this particular scene/story. I felt my heart swell with such deep admiration for her, as I spoke... a sure sign that I am in the right place... you know? Write what you are passionate about, that's what I say. That's the only thing that works for me. And so... we will see.

I ordered my office a little. It's a warehouse right now. It's chock-full of all the traveling I've done since January, and that's a lot of travel. It's home to all the detritus of living out of my suitcase for six months, plus library hauls and bills to be paid and kid stuff and a dehydrator and honestly, I don't know how I do it. I plan to tackle it, a half-hour at a time this summer. It will take a while.

The rest of the day was full of watering and weed pulling and consulting with our water-management-yard-putter-back-togetherer Roger, ordering and taking possession of 13 cu. yds of hardwood mulch for the beds that are ready for it. It's so hot.

I got a shower outside. Now I'm sitting in the pink chair with my hair in a towel, drinking the last of the sweet tea (Ruby Lavender would be proud of me), and reading LEROY NINKER SADDLES UP by Kate DiCamillo. Abby and I loved MERCY WATSON so much, and this is where Mercy led me.
Dinner out with friends. Thank goodness. I'm letting that draft cool. It needs so much work. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe.

YOU?

10 comments:

  1. Working on rewriting middle grade novel right now.
    So enjoying your posts!

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    1. Excellent! We will work together, Caroline. Thanks.

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  2. I just have to say how much I am loving these round-ups! Your day-to-day thinking, including the oh-so-familiar ,realities of trying to nail what's in our heads on paper, is so relatable. And then... a draft! A real-live, semi-decent DRAFT! Hooray! There's nothing better.
    I'm also working on a pbk that has been "close" for more than a year. Maybe I'm closing in today? I hope so!
    Thanks for these encouraging words.

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    1. Thanks, Dianne. I don't think the draft is even semi-decent. hahahahaha. But it's of-a-piece. If that makes sense. Keep going, and I will, too. Thanks for the encouragement and kind words.

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  3. Started writing character shorts last night - and found myself in a whole new story - not sure what to do with that today.
    Writing is always interesting - I will go at it again tonight as the day settles.

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    1. I have never written character shorts. I don't know why. I also won't do free writes. I'm not sure what they are. Just thinking out loud. But I HAVE found myself in a whole new story... I usually stay with it, to see where it's taking me, at least for a little while. Let us know what you do...

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  4. I loved Leroy Ninker! I have a PB I've considered turning into a chapter book. It stars an adult and an animal, but I hear those "Rules" saying "Kids' books need to star kids." Not so, says Leroy. Now I have some courage to break rules

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    1. Isn't that the way of it, Mary? We find models that give us permission to push the envelope. I LOVE that. One of the first things I noticed about Leroy Ninker was... hey... this is an adult! But he looks like a kid. I think he's totally relate-able. Courage is just one of the things that a book can give us. I'm glad you've found some. (Pass some over to me, too... :>)

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  5. This post gave me heart. (I came here via a retweet from twitter). I have been working on an MG for 5 years, I think. Maybe I will get it right eventually! I like the part you write about Rachel Carson making you swell inside. I know this feeling - I have it when I think about my characters...so maybe we need to trust the part that gives us joy. Congratulations on having a draft!

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    1. Oh, do take heart. We are not alone. My novel COUNTDOWN started as a picture book and grew up over a period of fifteen years... I put it away for years at a time. And YES, let's trust the part that gives us joy! I'm about to post about today's decidedly UNjoyful day. But oh, well. Some days are like that. Thanks for joining in. xo

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