The Final Miles

I did say, when first posting on this blog, that writing would be one of the main topics, but lately I have been diverted by flowers, birds, and weather; escaping, possibly, from that part of the writing process I have always found most difficult - polishing the first draft into something that might be worthy of showing to a publisher.

Could that be the attraction of short stories, especially when done in a rush, as per time-limited, prompt based, writing group exercises?  The idea appears - a spark in the dark - and flares like a freshly struck match.  The words pour from the end of the pen, and, minutes later, it is done.  A story sits, entire, on a few sheets of paper.

Complete in itself, it can still benefit from a half an hour of revision - of shifting or cutting words, pulling synomyms from the depths of memory to shift the tone of the writing to better match the story's content.

But a novel.........  after that first spark has faded, and the work has been laid down on the desk to sleep for the night, the spark has to be rekindled the next day, and the day after.  What a victory it is when finally, after so many distractions and side-trips have been negotiated, the first draft rests, complete.

"Put it aside for a while" recommend so many of the books and courses on this topic - and you do, but lurking at the back of your mind are the little discrepancies, anomalies, and contradictions that you know, or suspect, have crept into the narrative as the original idea unfolded from seed to fully grown shrub.  Eventually the author is going to have look again at the tangles and confusion that have crept in as ideas, plot twists, and new characters attached themselves to the original sprout.

Which branches are true grafts, and which merely mistletoe, sucking life from the original?  Where to prune?  Where to twist and redirect so as to let in more light, and where to add extra shade?

And all the while the author is living still in that wider world - the one full of people, politics, and incidents that are calling out for their share of the author's attention.  Many will repay the time they steal with fresh inspiration and source material for new stories.......   and there's the rub.  The world contained in that first draft requires much repair and fine tuning, and all the while, other possible worlds are crying out for space on their own fresh, clean pages.

A friend of mine, years ago, would respond to my harried cries of "I haven't got time!" with a stern admonishment "Well, make time!"  Easier said than done, I sometimes said, but that got me nowhere - it was up to me to decide and act on my priorities. 

How do people manage to live busy lives and still achieve creative goals?  How do you?