Ah, obsession. A favorite topic of every writer I know. What do we obsess about? You name it. Family, friends, pets, editors, agents...and oh yeah, the BOOK. The book is whichever one we happen to be writing at the time. The one we just finished, is of course, out on its own. It's been patted on the head and sent off into productionland to rise or fall on its own merits. We're past obsessing about that one.
It's the NEW one that gets all of our angst. Is it (pick one) romancey/suspensey/paranormally/funny/tragic/ mysterious enough? Do the characters come alive? Or is their dialogue sounding more like they're ordering the number one meal at McDonald's?
Right now, my obsession is settled on the Nocturne I have to send in next week. Yes, yes, it's mostly done. I'm going over and over and oh, say, OVER it again and again. Checking dialogue, descriptions, action. I want it to be perfect--the same thing I want for all of my books. And no matter what, when it's published, I'll find something in it that I'll wish I could change.
So, am I wasting time on obsession? Probably. Can I stop obsessing? Probably not. I've grown accustomed to the knots in my stomach and the rush of scenes and snippets of dialogue that strike the minute I close my eyes to go to sleep. I'm too used to talking to no one in the shower as I rehearse conversations my characters need to have. If I wasn't thinking about the book while doing dishes, I'd have to actually pay attention to what I was doing, and who wants to think about cleaning?
No thanks. I'd rather have the obsession. Ulcers and all...
Maureen
posted by Maureen Child @ 12:27 PM
2 Comments:
At 2:08 PM,
Kate Carlisle said…
LOL....I think you've made the right decision. Knots in stomach, talking to self in shower -- all preferable to obsessing over a clean house!
Of course you probably don't obsess over BLOGGING like I do. A good thing!
Kate
At 3:34 PM,
Maureen Child said…
Ah, Kate......you would be wrong in that!! LOL....my obsessions know no bounds! And besides, YOUR blogs are entertaining!!
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