Writing Slow

Waiting for an appointment today, I continued reading the book, Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers. The page I was on seemed to be just what I needed to read. You see, during a critique of my latest manuscript, some feedback was that the last few chapters seemed “rushed.” Hmm… After rereading, I had to agree. How did this happen? Well, according to Sellers’ fifth chapter, “Slow is Fearless,” she points out that sometimes when we’re anxious or nervous about deadlines, the amount of time it’s taking to write a book, or the fear that we have nothing to say, we tend to “speed up.” These are just a few of the reasons. She brings up several others.

But “… writing too fast, wanting too much too soon, is writing scared,” she writes. “Writing books is, and should be, really slow. The great books are still around – just like the great recipes, the great songs, the great trees – because they took a long time to develop.”

I think the word “develop” is the key here. It took me a long time to develop my skill in sewing. In the beginning, I ripped out seams, time and again, because I knew they were not right. But I stuck with it because I loved it. I took it slow, started to enjoy it, and finally became proficient in sewing. “Time-soaked writing is good writing,” Sellers writes. “Slow is good for the alchemy – the rise — of words and ideas and imagination and emotion.”



My cookies for Cookie Exchange Party

So I need to go back and take my time with those chapters that seemed “rushed.” Take a deep breath, take it slow, enjoy the process, and it will all come together.



Cookie Spread - Yum! Yum!



Wishing you a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year!