Blogfest 2009

I’m not sure.  Yes?  My first book – the first book I sold – was actually my second manuscript.  And I’m finding my second (third, technically) harder to write.  The first book took two years, was my grad school thesis, and was a pretty roundabout process.  Write a little here, there, see where it goes, etc.  My second book, Nothing Like You, shot out quite quick – I had direction, intent – I think I wrote the first draft in six weeks or so?  And now this new book, the one I’m writing right now, is entirely different.  This is a story I’ve wanted to explore for a while, and I’ve experimented a bit with approach: how to tell it – voice, perspective, etc.  It’s been a much slower process.  I’ve heard other writers say that the second book is the hardest – that the pressure can be stifling.  I relate.  Others are involved now – editors, agents, readers, etc.  It’s no longer just you and your laptop.  Although – who really knows what makes each book’s process so different.  I’ve heard mothers of multiple children say each of their pregnancies had their own distinct moods.  I’d like to think the same is true of books.  Each project, its own entity w/ its own developmental course…

It’s a funny thing, writing. It feels like reading. Or movie-watching. You’re fully engaged – you feel what your characters feel – but do I ever feel as if I am one with my MC? Not entirely. Still, I get to make people up and create a world I might want to inhabit. Something I might feel I’m lacking – I can create and engage with! The best is writing cute, broken, boys to crush on. Or, okay – right now? I’m writing about a drained indoor pool with muraled walls and ceilings. Do I own an indoor pool? No. But I can write one!

Oh yes. Somehow, I never tire of broken friendships, sex, destructive behaviors, betrayal, crippling fear of death, and thwarted love. Go figure! I have no clue what this says about me as an individual…