beginning middle and end of a writing project | Blockbuster Plots | Halfway point | Martha Alderson | plot whisperer | slogging through first draft | the hero journey | the writers journey
Slogging through the 1st Draft
I wrote today’s Twitter (1/2 pt. = commits to journey. Things seem to get a bit better. They’re about to get way worse = Crisis 3/4 pt.) based on something I heard Andre Agassi say in an interview about his memoir. I missed the part about why he despises tennis from the start but at around the Middle of his journey to wholeness, he quits drugs and alcohol and commits to tennis for the very first time.
Agassi’s Halfway turning point does what all good Halfway turning points do: signals a move from ambivalence to commitment. At that point, as Agassi quickly finds out, rather than get better, the Halfway point signals that things are about to get way worse.
The writer / protagonist (today’s on-going plot consultation illustrates how closely the two are tied) leaves the ordinary world when she signs up for a series of on-going plot consultations with the goal of finishing a writing project she has started and stopped for years.
She slips into the writers life with ease. Fortunate to have a lifestyle that supports writing and reading and fully sinking into the writers life, she sets up a dream writing schedule. Every morning, write with coffee. Write and walk. Write and errands. Write and eat. Write and read. Write and sleep. Sounds heavenly. Only distractions are those she allows.
Yesterday she hits the wall. Comes up with two new writing projects in quick succession. Retires to bed sick. Rejects vision of literary genius.
She hits the exact same point in her writer’s journey that the protagonist is about to encounter on the hero’s journey. Up until now, the writer and the protagonist have gone through the motions. Now, with full commitment, the writer and protagonist step forward thinking that by making the commitment, the hard work is behind them. They step forward into thin air without a clue that the worst is yet to come…
Crank up the energy. Next is the Crisis…
If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd had a video cam watching me since you have described my journey. I want to finish this draft that has been haunting me for about 16 months. I haven't worked on it front and center for a while, so I'm not sure where I even left off. Do I reread the whole thing [cringe…I recall from your book that you don't like that idea] to see where I need to start? So many holes to plug, I'm not sure where to begin. I really do want to see this story completed.