So this morning, I woke up early and got to work writing. I plan to have my upcoming novel, Losing Dani Strumm, available within the next month. First, however, a few things need "tweaking," as usual with creative writing—nothing major, like the last time when I had to toss out three chapters.
Here is a life hack if you are a writer. Do not change the ending of your novel halfway through your writing. For example, the writing was going great, and I imagined a different ending that I thought would be grand in the middle of the novel. The only problem was, to get the reader there, I had to change the direction of the story, and after three or four chapters, I found myself in a corner with no way out. The story fell apart, and I was frustrated. I gave myself writer's block because nothing in the story was natural. I forced a situation to get the result I thought I wanted and ruined the story.
So, after taking a break from Losing Dani Strumm, I returned, immediately threw out those chapters, and began again with the original storyline. Now everything is flowing once more as it should, and I love the story again.
I finished the rewrite of chapter eight, and I love it!
That is the feeling I want when I write
I like the story to flow as fast as I can type, the characters to live out the moment, surprise myself at the events, read it, and love it.
I am there. Now I have a few more to rewrite, and then I can move on with the copy editing. Regarding continuity, I only found one error, which I quickly repaired. I am thrilled with the story and cannot wait to share it with the world.
Chapter nine is going to be interesting as well for me. Sometimes it is difficult to take the reader into an unpleasant realm for the story's sake. However, it is necessary. Dreams, realities, desires, and obstacles. What is right, wrong, good, or bad for people? The choices we have to make, many of them daily, and everyone with a consequence. Some consequences are favorable, others not so much, and some last a lifetime.
In a moment, we could make a choice that destroys our future, or, if by chance, we choose correctly, create a future for ourselves that we would never have known otherwise.
If we look back at the choices we made in our lives and how different things may have been if we went left instead of right, said yes instead of no, or loved ourselves more than someone else. If we could remember that every choice has a consequence and each result lasts a period of time, would we make better choices if we focused on the future instead of the here and now?
I am an optimist who believes in second chances
I can't wait to see if Henry will feel the same about his status in his village or if Dani will risk her future on an unsure bet. The only we can be sure of in life is we must keep our eye on the future if we are to live triumphantly today.