Over the past month, I’ve struggled to make a meaningful dent in the final act of my book. While the writing has been going great, finding time to work on it has proved to be difficult. It’s hard to attribute this time crunch to any one specific factor. Life just feels a bit busier now, especially with the pandemic winding down. Between working on the book, my documentary film, visiting friends, and the return of my ultimate frisbee league, I just haven’t had the same distraction-free writing time that I had over the past year and a half.
The good news is, when I find the time to write, I feel very productive, and I’m steadily making progress on this final act. As of this morning, I’m almost done with chapter 41, which leaves only six chapters left in this section! I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised with how well the story is coming together. I've always known that the third act was going to be special, but I don’t think I realized how much better it would be after the rewrite.
Speaking of the rewrite, I was looking back on my notes and noticed that around this time in September of 2019, I had just finished rewriting Chapter 1. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't know that this process would take nearly two years to complete. I don't think I would have given up, but I would have felt a lot more discouraged about the work. In the end, I'm happy that I went through this process because it's what the story needed.
As I mentioned above, I have six chapters left before I am completely done with the rewrite. Over the next month, I am going to do everything I can to finish them. Fortunately, life is finally starting to calm down, and I’m settling into a good rhythm, so I feel this goal is achievable. Wish me luck and have a great month!
Sincerely,
Nelson/Roberto
Throughout most of January, I participated in the Under the Volcano writing residency in Tepoztlán, Mexico, which was an unforgettable experience that I will reflect on for some time. The remarkable people I met there inspired me to continue developing my craft.
This past month has been a good one. I was able to get some writing done and have finished seven chapters of my magical realism rewrite. I also started working on one of the new historical fiction scenes, and have been preparing for my writer’s retreat in Mexico.
This month’s update will be shorter, as most of November was occupied by my fall coaching job. Despite the hectic end of the season, I was able to get some writing done and prepare for my trip to Tepotzlán, Mexico.
