Secret Projects and All That Jazz

Those who know me know that I adore a good secret project. I love to keep my work on the down low so that people are surprised when they read it. I appreciate the fact that nothing is spoiled for them. They get to experience it in the moment. I imagine this feels like picking up a book for the first time and knowing nothing about it. This is my favorite part of reading: the falling into the story, being surprised by each new element. And it makes me so happy to give that to readers.

So, yes, I am currently working on a secret project. I wish I could talk more about it, but there unfortunately isn't much to share. I'm writing the first draft, just getting all my ideas out. I have to admit, it's horrendously rough. Each time I've done one of these projects, I've gotten better at info-dumping out a draft so that I can go back and edit with every thought on the page. Then, I'll know where to pare down the information, where to move things around to, where to add more detail. I cannot deny that it irks me to write something so imperfect, but I have to keep pushing myself because the moment I try to write a perfect first draft, I get caught in writer's block. So I will keep on keeping on if I want to finish this project in a reasonable time. 

My favorite part to any project is the editing. I love commenting on everything to consider the logistics of the flow and readability. When I finished any draft of Jaded, those pages were covered in highlights for things I wanted to change. I just love the mindset I get into when editing. It's like I become a different person. In fact, I don't even refer to myself as "I" or "me" while editing, instead saying things like "we need to change this" or "we can make this better." I think I do this to be more objective about my stories, looking at them without any sort of bias or connection. If I can separate my love for my own work from the editing process, I have a story where I am willing to rework anything. And I believe this is a good way to look at it.

Whenever I write anything, I really do want to comment my ideas as I see errors, but I know I have to keep going otherwise I'll lose my train of thought, so I have to completely separate the editing process from my mind. I can't consider that this is not exactly the right saying or that it was something like it, but I have to let it go and move on. I have been significantly more productive since doing this.

So right now, apart from the brief reprieve to write this, I am listening to jazz (as I find it helps me center myself the most) and trying my darndest to write and write until I finish this section of the story. I know the project will be nowhere near ready for a while, but I hope to release actual information on it in the next few months. After that, I will be able to provide more detailed updates! 

I hope this short update was interesting. Wish me luck on this project!