So it’s no secret I’ve been dealing with demons for about six months now. Surviving Demon Island, that is, my Bantam/Dell book.
But the demons attacking me lately are the doubt kind, and I hate them. I’ve written, to date, nearly thirty books, and have never faced one as tough as this. Rewriting this book has to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Of course Demon Island is a complete departure for me from the typical books I’ve written before. It’s longer, more action oriented and with a lot more depth.
It’s a book I both love and hate.
I love it because it’s truly stretched my writing muscles in ways I never expected. It’s made me grow as a writer.
I hate it because right now it’s kicking my ass!
It’s one thing to write a book where everything clicks and you know you’re on the right track. But when your editor wants revisions and those revisions are substantial enough you know a fix here and there just won’t cut it, a total rewrite is in order.
And then the doubt demons creep up and you start second guessing every scene, every bit of worldbuilding, every interaction between the characters. Is it strong enough, is the worldbuilding tight enough, is this version going to work? And those kind of demons will stagnate a writer…make her freeze up when it’s time to sit down and fly through the process.
Bleh.
I’m thinking I need to slay more than just the demons in the book. Good thing I’m a determined sort *g*