Back to the Future

A bit excited about today because I'm on a bit of a roll. I promised I'd dedicate some time to writing today, and so I spent most of it worrying about how I can jump back and forth from past to present in the book. The story is told through a series of flashbacks which recount how Harper's relationship with ex-boyfriend Oscar went awry. I'm still tinkering with this, and because I couldn't reach a decision, I took a break to read a technique guide on fiction writing from the Gotham Writers' Workshop. For whatever reason, it opened up some thoughts for me and helped me to rethink and rewrite a few chapters. I think the changes provide more depth - help to tell a more real story.

The book also suggests I begin a writing schedule, which makes sense. I must dedicate several days out of the week to write this bad boy if this is really going to happen. It's go time and Harper is never going to tell Oscar what's up if she is never written to do so.

So yes, I'm going to start with Tuesday and Thursday nights, after work, spending at least 1-2 hours to just writing, and not at home. I love writing at home, but after work, know I won't. I still need to decide where to write, but probably Central Park once it warms up, and in the meantime, a coffee shop. I know, original right?

I'm also going to spend 2-3 hours on either Saturday or Sunday (pending the prior night's events). So that's an average of 4-7 hours a week of just writing. That may not sound like a lot, but until I see how my work schedule may affect this, it's all I feel I can really do at this time honestly.

But I must say, this whole process is so bizarre, and I'm already placing some key learnings on the backburner for next go around. First off, I'm not writing in order whatsoever, so I find myself having to keep going back to other chapters to ensure consistency and flow of story. It made me realize that I only thought about the shell of the story before I actually started writing. It's only now that I'm going back to fill in the holes, the details, the events and thread them together. I think with Ruby Tuesday, much of this will have already been thought through. Or at least I hope.

Another dedicated day tomorrow - if only for an hour. Wish me luck.