Now, Break It

So, after all that planning for the New Year and the writing in my planner a loose schedule, all that hope for weight loss and writing gains, I’m into this New Year life one week and I’ve ditched it all. Well, not really, but sort of.

See, I did all the planning for a reason and that was to push it aside and instead—don’t plan but do. The plan showed me what I want, but all the pieces of papers and calendars and planners can’t make me do a thing. Only I can. I wanted to see my plan and I wanted to break it. Break it into little pieces I could swallow up with determination and hope.

And then I started. I dusted off the old Western Historical Romance Series I wrote many years ago, the one I mentioned last week, all right. As I said, I read the three books I’d written, jotted down a ton of notes, found the gold mine of editors comments, I made notes and started an outline for the fourth book, but best of all, I started rewriting the first book in the series.

At first, I stumbled, undecided. Did I copy, correct and work over, or did I start over? Open a new document and start typing? There were advantages either way and the idea of completely rewriting a 100,000-word manuscript was daunting and yet….

The idea of starting fresh wouldn’t let me go and so, disregarding my carefully noted schedule, I opened a new document, typed in Virginia City, NV, October 1875. From that moment, my fingers have galloped away with the story. I know it. I know it better. I know where it’s going, all of it, including the last story.

I was so afraid it would be a little same old, same old story new year. I didn’t want that. I don’t think my writing could stand that. I think I had a little of that editing Ella and the Tie-down Man at the last. While I love the story, it had been with me too much through a bad time in my life and I needed it finished. I worry that will come across in the finished product, but for now, I must move on. I’ve sent it out in the world. I have to see how it is received. If not well, I may have to begin again or leave it.

For now, I move forward with this series. Like so many long distance races, it’s the finishing that’s important, but you can’t finish if you never start.