You might recall that I’ve said the worst part about being a writer is not being able to read your own work as “fresh.” All the secrets are known to you, the sequence of events is never a surprise as it is for a reader. (My actual post about it is here.)Well, I just had an instance where that unfortunate fact negated itself! Yes, it’s true.
I’d been reading my own work… and I had practically no idea what came next!
How is that possible? Stupidity, you might think? No. Unfamiliarity.
Wondering, then, how I could be “unfamiliar” with my own work? Simple.
The book that seemed fresh to me is the second of a series of four. Book 1 and Book 2 are all that are written thus far. I’ve mentioned before that while writing Book 2, I began “hearing” from another character, one from an entirely different and new (at the time) novel. Jeremy (the character) would not shut up, relentlessly trying to force me to write his story instead of the one I’d been working on (Book 2). Well, Thom (of that series) is very understanding, so he let me go attend to Jeremy.
How is that possible? Stupidity, you might think? No. Unfamiliarity.
Wondering, then, how I could be “unfamiliar” with my own work? Simple.
The book that seemed fresh to me is the second of a series of four. Book 1 and Book 2 are all that are written thus far. I’ve mentioned before that while writing Book 2, I began “hearing” from another character, one from an entirely different and new (at the time) novel. Jeremy (the character) would not shut up, relentlessly trying to force me to write his story instead of the one I’d been working on (Book 2). Well, Thom (of that series) is very understanding, so he let me go attend to Jeremy.
Quite some time later, I’d finally been able to go back and finish Book 2 of/for Thom. I had quite a challenge to “get back into” that novel, as there happens to be loads going on it. But I’d been able to… and I completed it. Of course, I knew that I’d one day have to return to it again. To re-read through it and revise as necessary. But I shelved it in my mind, content to know I’d at least completed the book in the sense of it being whole and not in pieces and shambles. I’d been quite glad to finally get it all out on the page.
Well, that day arrived - and I just had that run-through. Since I had the mentality of "finally-over-and-done-with" regarding the novel originally, I did not go through it as many times. (Usually I will re-read as I write a few times as well. But due to the interruption, I had been thrown out of my usual habits.) Therefore, I had just plain not been as familiar with it as other works.
And thus, I’d actually been able to be curious as to what happens next for much of the book!
Well, that day arrived - and I just had that run-through. Since I had the mentality of "finally-over-and-done-with" regarding the novel originally, I did not go through it as many times. (Usually I will re-read as I write a few times as well. But due to the interruption, I had been thrown out of my usual habits.) Therefore, I had just plain not been as familiar with it as other works.
And thus, I’d actually been able to be curious as to what happens next for much of the book!
It had been very fun to be a "reader" of my own novel. And yes, I liked it.
After a couple other matters that need my attention, I will be able to begin Book 3 of this series.
After a couple other matters that need my attention, I will be able to begin Book 3 of this series.
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