For Me

I've read somewhere that there are writers who enjoy starting a new story. Me? I hate it. 

Okay, maybe not hate so much. But it exhausts me.

Let me break it down for you.

In all of my stories, there's a girl. That girl will be the MC (main character) and something hard will happen to her. Something that will hurt, but will also make her stretch and grow. 

And I'll probably already know the ending. But not the beginning.

So I'll sit down and decide where to begin. I'll write a few or twenty thousand words, and then I'll realize I don't need one of my characters and I'll start over, completely ripping them out of the story. Then I'll start over again. This may happen three or four times. It takes days, maybe months.

I have no idea why I am this way, but I am. 

The other night, I enjoyed a quick congratulations conversation with a friend. Last year around this time, I was in tears and he gave me some advice. 

Push through.

He gave me that exact advice again this year. (Funny that I would be in the same spot a year later when I've come so far.)

He's no writer, but he is very wise. And he was right. I knew he was right when he said it the first time. Heck, I knew he was right before he said it. But it was what I needed to hear then, and it was what I needed to hear now. 

And today, friends, I hit that point.

The point where the pushing through pays off. It happens every time. I hate what I write until suddenly...I love it. It all clicks and starts working and when the kids get home, rather than welcoming the opportunity to quit, I find myself holding up a finger and saying, "Just a sec, I have to get this down."

It's a wonderful day when it comes, because things start getting fun. Rewarding. Enjoyable. Words flow rather than fight. 

And I'm there. *Sighs*

This is the way life works for me on so many things, not just writing. 

How do you roll?