Today is the day. We are presenting the manuscript of Buk Tu to our editor for his first review. This is both a major event, and a minor event. It’s major, because it means the book is in a complete form, worthy of being read by someone besides ourselves. This is a major step in the life of a book. However, it’s also minor, because this is only our editor’s first look, and there will be many revisions to come–from our editor’s suggestions, and then through beta readers, and on from there.
Nonetheless, I am excited.
Monday night (or rather, the wee hours of Tuesday morning) I stayed up all night to write, finishing the climactic battle scenes of the book, which previously had been filled by a number of place holders: [FIGHT SCENE HERE].
I pulled the all-nighter for a couple of reasons. I did this kind of thing in college a fair bit, because something about the change in routine and the pressure to meet a deadline actually make me more productive. I’m sure it would not be the case if I did it all the time, but the rarity of it is what helps get my blood flowing, as it were. But secondly, where else in my life do I have 8 uninterrupted hours of writing time? I wrote from 12:15am to 8:30am. That’s a block of time that I don’t have anywhere else.
And this sequence demanded it. The “battle,” if you include getting into position, covers nearly 15 chapters. It’s not all fighting (though there certainly is a fair bit) but it does include all the action which brings each of the characters to the climax of their individual storylines. It’s an immense section, which demanded great attention not only to the prose itself, but also to pacing, flow, and coverage of the different characters.
I’d avoided tackling this section before, because it wasn’t something I felt like I could do in small chunks. Most of my writing time is broken into blocks of a couple of hours at a time, at best. But it is difficult for me to work on pacing and flow in that manner. I needed the all-nighter, in a sense, so I could really dig in and give these chapters the attention they required. I am certain the book will be the better for it.
All writers have their own method. All writers have their own writing tools. All writers have their own places for writing. I have found what works for me. Even if it sometimes demands an all-nighter to get it done.
PS: You should have seen me: Sitting at my desk, with a 32-oz Dr. Pepper (my first in over a year), a box of Nerds (the crunchiness helped me stay focused), my big headphones on with epic music cranked up, typing away in Scrivener. I almost wish I had a picture, except it might be scary.
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