Spotlight on Writing

I realized, as I have been adding comments to Darkness, Set Us Free that large chunks of it need to be completely rewritten.

Have you ever read books that have bled into your own style and been dissatisfied with the results? This is what I believed happened when writing Darkness, Set us Free. There seems to be a very odd narrative tone running through one of my character’s chapters. It feels like he is recounting the story to me. While it does make him feel like a good friend, it doesn’t engage me as deeply as it usually would. It doesn’t feel like I am there. Instead, we’ve sat down with a coffee, some years have passed, and he’s explaining everything that happened. Not that this is necessarily a wrong way to write, but it’s not my way. I am a visual writer, and this auditory ‘retelling’ of the story doesn’t sway my fancy.

Then there is the effect of isolation from Covid-19, back in 2020 when most the book was written. Buried so deep in our own minds, with little input from the outside world, each character also became quagmired in their thoughts. Large portions of the text come off as introspective ramblings, with little to no description or dialogue to break up these internal monologues.

So, Ashley and I are taking a new approach to our editing: We each will edit and rewrite our own chapters, before continuing with our usual process of handing the manuscript back and forth. This will give us a chance to fix our mistakes, and revamp the original manuscript. After a long battle of trying to figure out what is wrong, adding comments and making suggestions, I’m excited to get started!

Personal Update

Firstly, I have to apologize for this post being a little late. Julia started the 4 month sleep regression and while her night time sleep has been better than ever (asides from a few late nights) her day time naps are terrible. The result? A screaming, tired baby and me unable to get anything done. While I know this phase won’t last forever (and if it goes on too long there’s always sleep training), the common advice of ‘write during nap times’ seems all but impossible to achieve. I’m currently writing this blog post one-handed, my arm stretched way out in front of me and leaning awkwardly back in my chair to ensure my little miss remains asleep, perched atop my belly. It’s not easy, but it works. Sort of.

On the bright side, at least she enjoys books as much as her mama!

Julia has me quagmired — stuck in one place while she naps, it's hard to get any writing done.