I got halfway through a second draft the other day and then stopped, unable to think of how to go next. When this happens, I usually put it aside, let my brain do some thinking, and pick up something else.
In this case: another first draft that needed a second swing. So I picked up the laptop and took that swing.
My Twitter (@elgeelen) is a nice reminder of just how crazy this got, and how quickly it got out of hand. I had just anticipated a few gentle edits here and there, but WHOA! No. Within the first chapter, which got re-written to be so much better, I had changed the name of the main character and possibly altered the ending with just one paragraph.
Over the course of the next week, I ploughed through chapters 1 – 6, pored over each word, and in general improved them. My female lead, who had been strong-willed before, now had reason and force! “Stop telling me what I can and cannot do. Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll decide.”
This great momentum couldn’t last, I thought, and lo and behold, I opened my laptop, changed two words and went to bed early. I blame the toddlers for this one, though – they were sick and I’d been awake from 3am until 5am for three nights in a row comforting and cleaning.
Yet only two days later, I had spent hours on the couch, pretending to watch the children as they played, and smashing out chapters. What had been chapter 6 became chapter 10. I removed a character completely, realising they just held no use, although they might make an appearance in the sequel, which is already on the first draft and yet I had to pause that one because there were significant changes in this one that affected the second (stops to breathe).
What was chapter 15 is now chapter 21, and I flew through those chapters like the house was on fire and I had to write to stop it. My wrists ached but my brain was fizzing. The chapters were seriously epic and I just couldn’t stop writing them. I woke at 3am not because of the children but because I was like “OMG yes that is exactly how this should go down I will write notes on my phone and then try to sleep but now I can’t because I’m too excited but I need to because I’m exhausted” and then actually sleep an hour later. My character turned into not just strong-willed but a complete bad-ass! I drove to pick up my kids from daycare almost shouting at the steering wheel: “Yes! She is amazing! That is so right for her!” (My kids don’t care, by the way. They are like “shhh mummy we want to watch PJ Masks”.)
And now I’m at the end of the smashout, and have to actually start editing again, which is harder than writing new content! I have started chapter 22 twice already and intend to change it again this morning. It’s ok. There will be more smash sessions to come.