Saving Grace: Taking Stock

At some point in every story, there comes a time when writing, plotting, character and story development stops and stock taking begins.

It could be a day spent pondering plot dilemmas in the middle of a first draft or it could be a couple of weeks spent brooding between drafts.

To an interested observer, it looks like the work has stopped. The writer isn’t writing. She’s reading someone else’s stories. She’s doing research. She’s sitting in a chair or out walking or gardening or painting; but she’s not writing.

I used to hate the times when I didn’t know what to do and was forced to stop and take stock because there was no clear direction for anything else.

Taking stock still isn’t my favorite part of the writing process or the editing process, but I am coming to see the value in stepping back from a project to take a longer look at it, just like a painter steps back from the easel to see how a painting ‘works’ from across the room.

Today has been a stock taking day.

Revisions have always been more difficult for me than first drafts. First drafts aren’t always easy, but they are more often fun than not. There’s something essential about making something out of nothing. It must be just a little taste of the joy God felt in making something out of nothing in the creation process.

There are always problems, though. Plot questions that aren’t answered to my complete satisfaction in the first draft. Character development issues. Logistics. Location. Drama. Those things are usually handled in a manner that allows the story to move forward without significant delay, but there is the knowledge that I’ll have to deal with them sooner or later.

“Sooner or later” has arrived!

Second draft work on Saving Grace has proceeded fairly well to this point in spite of knowing there were at least two underlying issues waiting to be resolved.

Last night, after what seemed like a good day of rewriting, I came face to face with one of those issues. In an effort to sort things out, I decided last night to step back from rewriting today and to ponder the underlying issue of basic plot and story set up.

It has been a productive day, even though I’m not particularly happy with the things that have been revealed by a review of the story journal and plotting questions journal or by the conclusion that is taking shape as a result.

But there is a growing awareness of what happened in the first draft, why it happened and how to remedy the results.

It is my prayer that by the time I get back to work tomorrow, I will also have an idea of how to repair the damage (or at least minimize it) and how best to proceed.

If that happens, the hours spent reviewing and taking stock will have been well worth it.

May God grant me the discernment to see my way, the courage to begin the work and, just as importantly, the faith and focus to finish it.

So be it.