The verse novel I wrote about a few months back. I met my goal and turned in a proposal to my agent (twenty-five poems plus a synopsis). Now I’m forging ahead. I’ve decided to take my own writing advice and treat this drafting phase as low stakes as possible.
Monday through Friday, I sit down in the morning and write for an hour. Sometimes it’s two. Then I go on with the rest of my day. Sometimes I think about it, sometimes I don’t, but the story’s still brewing in the back of my mind. I’m taking my own advice to practice, explore, discover, play — an approach to writing that lets me off the hook because they’re no hooks to get caught on! I’m showing up and staying curious.
I’m going to draft the whole book this way.
This is similar to how I drafted my most recent verse novel manuscript. Until I got near the end and decided to give myself a deadline!
I think it’s an approach that especially works for verse, where you are hyper focused on key moments.
I agree!
I’m excited for you! I am working on a bird-something too … no idea if I’ll actually finish it though.
I’ll be thinking of you and your birds!