And Here Comes the Impatience

It’s happening. I knew it would, and I’ve been resisting it as well as I could, but I’m starting to weaken.

Pretty soon, it’ll be SPLAT! Facedown in the sand, rope burn on my palms.

What am I talking about? The increasingly strong pull to rush move at a slightly faster pace through The Breakout Novel Workbook. I’m starting to get through a worksheet every time I sit down to work. I’m seeing myself type little notes into a step, notes like Covered this in earlier worksheet and Save for later, if needed. Instead of working through extra examples of the tasks Maass assigns, I’m doing just (AKA only) what the assignment says.

I’m scolding myself a little bit, and I’m using some restraint, but I’m also seeing this as a good thing. Tug of war pulls you in two directions–toward something and away from it. Up till now, I’ve been working steadily on the worksheets and making progress, learning more about my characters and their stories–which is why I backed off from drafting the WIP and picked up the Breakout book again. But…and here’s the good part…the more progress I make, the more I’m getting pulled toward writing. Actual scene writing. I drafted a short scene for a worksheet exercise the other day, and it was like a few drops of the most absolutely perfect dessert wine on my tongue. Sweet, smooth, and rich.

I’m getting impatient.

I’m still going to finish the workbook. There were good reasons why I dug back into it and committed to working all the way through. Those reasons still hold. But I do believe I’ll be moving just a little more quickly these days. And maybe loosening up my grip on the rope.