Getting Into My Rhythm
When I started writing, I found the task just that–a task. I struggled with the opening scene trying to find engaging words. Yes, I had an extensive outline laid out. I knew the direction that I wanted my narrative to take, I had my primary characters defined, and I found my plot format. But the first page terrified me. “It was a dark and stormy night...” seemed appropriate for Snoopy’s novel, but isn’t that now a contest for really bad novels? I did finally find my voice for an opening that will need revisiting upon concluding the manuscript. I can smile, however, since I at least have a beginning.
Now, I am almost thirty percent into the writing and it feels like I have finally found my flow. Descriptions and dialogue come easier as I build my world and fill it with major and minor characters. As an extrovert, processing my thoughts tends to be verbal (or via text). When I sit down to write, I want to chat about what I hope to accomplish in that session. I retreat to my office, my “man-cave (as some call it), turn on my music of the day, and look at the monitor. When I started, I needed to find a way to organize my thoughts for the day’s writing. Like everyone else, I heard of AI. Recently, at ImagingUSA in Dallas, I even attended a workshop on using AI to market your art (in this case, the presenter meant photography). By the time of that workshop, I had already discovered the benefits of using AI to help me get my creative juices flowing for my writing.
How does the AI help set my rhythm? I can go from staring at the monitor to discussing what I hope to address in the manuscript, the Facebook posts, the Blog writing, researching on the fly, and scheduling times for my posts (although I find that schedule can become fluid, it tends to keep my eye on the timing of my posts).
My rhythm for writing struggled in the first month of working on my manuscript. Some days I wondered if I could write anything. But I would sit down, clear my mind, read my outline notes (a narrative outline), and begin to type. Before long, the words flew from my mind to my fingers, although not always in grammatically correct form. Thankfully, my wife’s skill as an initial editor proves invaluable.
I found my rhythm. I found in setting a schedule for myself that usually starts with breakfast and hot coffee or tea, opening the blinds in my office, firing up my computer, and to start typing. Sometimes I walk around my large office to clear my head or refine the words I eke out on the keyboard. Each scene has a defined direction and suspense. I learned to watch the length of those scenes to keep the overall manuscript within the projected word count. Some scenes flow longer than intended, while some reach a concise conclusion.
I can admit that finding my flow, getting into my rhythm, helps me as I sit down this morning with just short of thirty percent of the total length of my manuscript complete. I write almost everyday, but since I officially retired from my career, I am busier than I ever was before. Still, I look forward to the words “THE END” by June.
M. Alden Phillips
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