 |
| For more information |
When I walk on the beach, I search for dolphins out at sea, smile at skittering sandpipers, prod at shells wedged into wet sand. I also peer into piles of sea stuff - seaweed, driftwood, shells - washed up on shore because you never know what you'll find. Sometimes a huge, whole sand dollar. Sometimes a stinky fish.
This WiP, this new novella, has become that fish. I dig through ideas, characters, dialogue, excitement and passion only to end up with something so smelly it makes my eyes water.
However, I don't think it's time to move on to another pile - or another project - just yet. I hope that if I just nudge aside some clingy kelp, if I sift through more broken shells, I'll find that sand dollar, find that story. It might be dirty and stained. It might even be inside that fish. But if it's there, I'll find it. I'll unearth it. I'll clean it up. And I will make it glow.
You GO, Lady. Keep at it and don't give up because it's there. Sometimes we stop unearthing or cleaning up a story too soon, only to find out later when a similar story comes out that we should have stuck with it.
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia at Everything Must Change
Thanks so much, Patricia!
DeleteAnd I so hear you about that feeling when a similar story comes out. Sigh.
I loved your blog post headline - it definitely drew me in. And I loved all of the sea shore / ocean analogies. I bet there are a lot of sand dollars lurking about in the pages you've written. Keep searching, they're there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen!
DeleteI wish I was as brave as you, out there actually in/on the ocean. My feet - and nerves! - prefer the sand, even if does sift and shift under me once in awhile. :)
You don't know you have a real stinky fish until your dog rubs its body over it.
ReplyDeleteYour tortoises haven't been circling your keyboard, have they? :)
Ha! :)
DeleteI'm thinking maybe I should let the tortoises circle the keyboard. They're probably faster than I am when it comes to writing....
Finding the story or the whole sand dollar is the key to happiness. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Hmm, I seemed to have misplaced my keys.... :o
DeleteHi Madeline, you CAN make that WIP glow. I am having trouble with one of my novels, so I completely get you.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it, too, Rachna! :)
DeleteJust wear gloves and continue to sift.
ReplyDeleteHmm, gloves are a good idea. Or maybe some hand sanitizer. :)
DeleteI'm thinking of unearthing a gem from my past WIPs. It's a whole sand dollar for sure, uh, somewhere in that stinky fish existence.
ReplyDeleteYes! Go pull out that sand dollar, Jennifer. :)
DeleteWIPs do tend to need to be polished. Every now and then, they can lose their shine and look quite ugly, but if we keep at it, they shine again. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chrys!
DeleteWhat a great comparison. You made me smile this morning. I've been worried my current WIP might be a stinky fish too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I was able to give you a smile. :)
DeleteWe just have to keep digging past that stinky fish, Susan. We can do it!
I think we all have to hold our noses at some point while trying to make our WIPs shine. But just think! Those beautiful diamonds people pay so much money for started out as humble lumps of coal, and we can turn our books into gems, too! I just hope it doesn't take as long... :)
ReplyDeleteLove that, Susan! And I'm with you on hoping it doesn't take that long....
DeleteI love that. It all boils down to our determination, eh?
ReplyDeleteI am nothing if not determined. :)
DeletePersistence is key! Good luck with the revisions.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yvonne!
DeleteGood luck with your stinky fish. I have a couple of those myself, at least one of which should be wrapped up in newspaper and given a decent burial.
ReplyDeleteThat's the trick, isn't it? Knowing when to keep digging for that sand dollar or when to bury that fish and move on.
DeleteMaybe the fish swallowed a golden ring? You'll work it out. I believe in you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Loni! I appreciate that. :)
DeleteSometimes, it takes time for a story to crystallize out of a pile of junk. You might try to step back for a month or two and then return to your story with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Occasionally, such approach helped me.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Olga!
DeleteI love this metaphor! I'm in a similar place with a story I'm working on. Why is that when you start digging (aka revising), you just find more things to change? Hoping you find your sand dollar and the heart of your story very soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenni! I hope you find your sand dollar soon, too.
DeleteBrilliant metaphor! Yep, I have some stinky fishes stashed away inside my computer.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. No wonder my office smells!
DeleteGreat post Madeline and I enjoyed your metaphor. I'm currently re-writing two novels, so I'm up to my knees in stinky fish. One, in particular smells as bad as a bucket of prawns in the sun, but I still keep coming back to it. I know there's a sand dollar in there somewhere! I hope you find yours soon. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you, too! We can do this!
DeleteLOL I think all first drafts are stinky fish. Sometimes it just takes a while for ideas to come together.
ReplyDeleteI hope this one comes together soon. It's getting hard to breathe around here. :o
DeleteGreat attitude! (I enjoyed the metaphor too :) )
ReplyDeleteThanks, Caitlin!
DeleteBest wishes for turning that stinky fish into something special. Sometimes all it takes is a little determination and stubbornness.
ReplyDeleteDetermination? Check. Stubbornness? Check. An actual good idea? Hmmm....
DeleteDoing a little sand sifting myself and gazing at the sea.
ReplyDeleteJuneta @ Writer's Gambit
Gazing at the sea is so relaxing. Aaaahhhh!
DeleteYes!!! Clean off the stink and pull out a white, shiny skeleton or sand dollar.
ReplyDeleteI love how you described this, Madeline. I feel like my rough draft of my current WIP is pretty stinky right now, too. I haven't finished it yet, but when I do, I'm going to have to strip it down to the bones and rebuild ... or at least that's my guess at this point. Sigh.
Thanks, Tyrean! And I know you can do it. :)
DeleteKeep digging around in that stinky pile. You may find that sand dollar yet! I feel like I'm doing the same thing sometimes. It helps to turn away for a bit and come back to it at times.
ReplyDeleteHmm, turn away from the pile and gaze at the sea? Sounds good!
DeleteI have a lovely sand dollar on my window sill. I found it back when I lived in Florida so it has been kept unbroken through two moves over 20 years.
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to also call my wip a smelly fish....but I think I finally have a handle on the problems and the fixes. We'll see what happens.
I love finding shells in general but especially sand dollars - real ones, not the metaphorical manuscript ones. :)
DeleteYeh for having the fixes to your WiP problems!
Great analogy! Keep slugging through the pile, but don't forget to enjoy the view!
ReplyDeleteI think maybe I've been spending too much time with my gaze toward the ground and not enough with it out toward the view, the sea, the horizon.
DeleteLove this! There's always moments where the story stinks to high heaven. Here's hoping you find the sand dollar in yours!
ReplyDeleteI think I might need some air freshener around here.... :)
DeleteGreat way of describing it! I'm pretty sure when I start delving into each raw draft that I've got the decomposing fish. But somehow we managed a transformation. Just keep digging!
ReplyDeleteThose raw drafts are pretty funky!
DeleteIt's like uncovering ancient treasures in the ruins. Slow, tedious work, but so rewarding once you see the first glimmer of promise. Just keep chipping away. The great thing about stories and ideas is that even if you decide to set it aside, it is always waiting for a second look later.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, I believe Stephen King talked about stories like that, stumbling across a piece sticking out of the ground, uncovering slowly.
DeleteI have to complete at least two rounds of editing/revising before I can start to polish that "fish" into a potential sand dollar. I'm slow, not too steady, and have no patience.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the patience. I'm always like "Come on, already!"
DeleteI love this analogy, Madeline. I think writers can turn stinky fish into treasures, and I'm curious to see where you'll go with this.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, too. :)
DeleteYes, find it. Unearth it. Clean it up. And make it glow.
ReplyDeleteLove the metaphor and the climactic end!
Thanks, Michelle!
DeleteYou always come up with the best analogies! I'm sorry you've come across some stench but I have faith you'll find the sand dollar. You've got this!
ReplyDeleteAnd if the stench won't go away, at least it's almost GoT day again so we can be happy either way! ;)
Maybe I should skip the novella and just write a collection of analogies and similes and metaphors. :)
DeleteOh, how I love GoT day!
You can do it! And great analogy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb!
Delete