In my continuing saga of spending Fridays blogging about writing Whispering Woods and its sequel, Winter Wonderland, I’m in the throes of revision, and revision is difficult.
My writing process is more fluid, I suppose, than it should be. I do not start with an outline, per se, but with an idea. Sometimes the writing comes very easily, flows well, just feels right. But sometimes, as in this week’s struggles, things just ebb and flow, much like the ocean, and I find myself mystified at what is happening with the story. It becomes a time of measuring details against the big picture, and revision becomes mandatory.
So it is with a section of the new book, Winter Wonderland, but then I had to review what I had written in Whispering Woods. Details had to mesh. Here’s the situation.
In late January, a couple named Charles and Martha Sanderson, celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. Their four children, grandchildren and friends decide to plan a surprise remarriage ceremony with all the bells and whistles, giving them the wonderful wedding like the couple planned for all four of their children, but never experienced themselves.
Here’s where it gets complicated. Whispering Woods is just the place to pull this off! What could be more lovely than the Grand Lady Inn, fresh snow, accommodations par excellence, great food, and a gathering of family and friends?
Problem is, I had to go back to Whispering Woods to decide where to house each of the family groups, like the eldest daughter, her grown children, four of them, including a married couple with a newborn, the first grandchild. Finally, I placed them in the Sugar Maple Suite which could accommodate them all. Then, Bev and Greg Sanderson arrive with their little Lizzy and Benjamin, four-year-old twins. Little Lizzy will be the flower girl and Benjamin will carry the rings for the ceremony. They’ll all stay in the Rugged Oak Suite.
And so forth.
So, I envisioned the surprise wedding, but have had to work out all the details to make it real.
I guess, from what my readers are telling me, I’m pretty good at the descriptions. In fact, several have told me they want to arrange a field trip! Wouldn’t that be fun? But, I need my logical-mathematical brain side to work out all these details. It’s been a writing struggle this morning.
Maybe if I set it aside for a little while and revisit it, I can work out the rough places and make it flow. Right now, it’s all a foggy blur at 6:43 a.m.
Well, hours later, I’ve shuffled chapters, written interludes, tried to make the story cohesive.
Someone asked me the other day if Jean and Ben get married. I’m on page 175. wait for it, wait for it!
And so, Dear Reader, sometimes writing is a struggle. How do you handle details?
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