Silvercatcher

February 11

Posted by Madeline on Feb 11 2010

Reading: The End by Salvatore Scibona

Listening to: Shuffle—Elvis, and then Bollywood. What a collection of songs on iTunes I have.

A couple weeks ago, I looked at my nearly 150 completed pages and realized it was all wrong. And started over on page 30 something. What a bummer, honestly. Sometimes I feel as though it’s all a race, as though I need to write each book as fast as possible, to get it all out as soon as I can…to what end? I like writing more than editing or sitting around waiting for a new idea, so what’s the rush? So maybe it’s a good thing I was forced to slow down and reconsider a plot I thought had been written in stone since last April. A plot I’ve spent months and months waiting for– only to realize that there is no logic holding it together. Was the failed planning just me being too nearsighted? Or are my characters fickle?

Or maybe each time I witness something like the huge snowstorm that hit my town yesterday, or I watch a dramatic football game, or I read an eye-opening novel, something new is added to the possible plots and characters in my mind. If that’s the case, I’ve been wondering if it is possible for an author to plan out her work longer than a few weeks before she writes it. When I first started this trilogy, I thought it was. And I was so pleased with myself for knowing what was happening in the long run, so that I could write up to it in the first two books.

Wrong.

And, well, okay. I still have two finished books of solid characters and plots behind me, and now I get the fun of sussing out a plot that feels right and settled to everyone. At any rate, I certainly like my new 70 pages much more than the last 150, so I’m okay with the way things go. And in those instances when I can’t help but lament the loss of so many pages and scenes that I spent so many hours on, I just like  to think that only means I’m open to new possibilities.

A thought? I think so.

“Maybe this, after so many years, was justice at last for the sacrifices he had accepted from so many others. Maybe he deserved this. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end.”

Cheery Sava. A quote from Book Three: Arahmid’s Dust.

Also– A great big thank you to Cassie Haines for helping me put together my map of Eldingvald and the rest of the Northern Isles. This map can be seen right now on the Books Page, below the descriptions of Sava’s books!