Satisfaction

Tonight I spent some time plotting. I was unsatisfied with that. I found scenes I needed to write but this book still feels short so far. Either the scenes I have picked will turn out to be longer than planned, or I’ll end up with additional before and after scenes, tagged onto the major ones I’ve planned (which is what keeps happening.)

Then I wrote about 1000 words. I actually wrote about 1500, but the first 500 needed to be thrown out. I’d started the scene in the wrong place, and I had to start it over again from scratch. However, that 1000 words turned out to be very satisfying. The last two paragraphs, and in particular, the last line, had quite a punch.

I realized that the reason why that last line was so strong, and the scene so powerful, is because it touches on three things: theme, character and plot. (Yes, I’m one of those strange writers who knows what her theme is before she starts writing — or actually, thinks about the theme as part of the initial brainstorming sessions.)

Hence, the subject of this post. That kind of power and magic and flow are the reasons why writing can be so satisfying. It doesn’t always come together, and I was certainly frustrated at the start of my writing session. But sometimes I can figure it out and it clicks and ahhhhh. No other feeling quite like that in the entire world.

Hope that your writing provides you with the same kind of satisfaction.