This may seem a bit silly, but people here are looking for help, and I've received amazing suggestions myself. So here's my own revelation, for what it's worth.
I realized this weekend, in a blinding flash of light (complete with a "duh" sign above my head), that the reason I've been putting off finishing my book is that I just haven't liked what I was writing.
Or, let me clarify: I like what I'm writing about. And I love my story.
But the way I was writing it was just...ugh.
The thing is, I love to read academic-supported historic fiction, if that's a thing...lots of accurate detail, almost dry. That's what I like to read.
So that's what I've been trying to write.
But...I don't want to write that style. I just want to read it! What I want to write is a bit more, I guess, fanciful...less "you couldn't possibly refute this"...more shocking, surprising, dramatic, and encompassing elements about everyday life that fascinate me.
Don't get me wrong: I still want my writing to seem intelligent. BUT I've been trying to force something that hasn't come naturally to me. It is, perhaps, just that simple. I want to love what I write. Period. I want to love writing it.
If that means I'll never be one of the "ZOMG, she's flawless with her facts" greats (and it probably does), so be it. I may never get published regardless, so I may as well LOVE what I'm writing!
I hope this helps someone, even if in some small way.
I realized this weekend, in a blinding flash of light (complete with a "duh" sign above my head), that the reason I've been putting off finishing my book is that I just haven't liked what I was writing.
Or, let me clarify: I like what I'm writing about. And I love my story.
But the way I was writing it was just...ugh.
The thing is, I love to read academic-supported historic fiction, if that's a thing...lots of accurate detail, almost dry. That's what I like to read.
So that's what I've been trying to write.
But...I don't want to write that style. I just want to read it! What I want to write is a bit more, I guess, fanciful...less "you couldn't possibly refute this"...more shocking, surprising, dramatic, and encompassing elements about everyday life that fascinate me.
Don't get me wrong: I still want my writing to seem intelligent. BUT I've been trying to force something that hasn't come naturally to me. It is, perhaps, just that simple. I want to love what I write. Period. I want to love writing it.
If that means I'll never be one of the "ZOMG, she's flawless with her facts" greats (and it probably does), so be it. I may never get published regardless, so I may as well LOVE what I'm writing!
I hope this helps someone, even if in some small way.
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