Monday, December 27, 2010

Trimming off the Fat?



Ok, so after the office party, family gatherings, and other holiday celebrations, people unsnap their pants and put on their sweats to lounge around in and think, "I shouldn't have eaten that last cheese log all by myself."  Hey let's face it, we all face that guilt of over indulging during the holiday season.  Once the season is over, the gym membership becomes activated after several months of no use along with dusting off the old treadmill in the bedroom corner.  Yes, trimming down becomes the goal; however as a writer, coming to that conclusion can be a daunting task.

When writing a story, there are times which trimming away the extra, unimportant, or the non-necessities is essential.  Then at other moments within the story, the extra crispy bacon fat along with the side dish of buttered potatoes is just the right touch.  Yet deciding what extra ingredients make the right combination of sleek muscles and round curve appeal, instead of the nasty cottage cheese fat pockets, can be mind boggling for a writer. 



As writers, we often ask 'what motivates the character' and throughout the story we drop bread crumbs of background information with the sultry details of the hero's past.  Yet as I write, I find myself giving away too much of the goods too soon or not enough at other times, especially during the rough draft stage of the manuscript.  It can be frustrating but with patience, time, and the help from a critique partner, the finished product can have the right balance of everything needed to create a well written story.

So as we continue our writing endeavors, let's not be too hard on ourselves.  We can add and delete and then add some more when needed.  Nothing is written in stone; therefore, it can be changed...until published.  And by then, it's obvious others have found your story included the perfect combination of muscles and fats too.  So don't worry about not fitting into those skinny jeans or filling out that curving dress because it's one size fits all. 

10 comments:

  1. LOVE this analogy! My manuscript has had scenes added to and subtracted from it so many times...if it had a closet of its own, it would hold sizes 2, 22, and everything in between! Good one!
    Lori

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  2. Awesome post JD! I found myself smiling the whole time-and the analogy of food to writing, what a great comparison. :)

    I know after eating all of that holiday stuff, which I NEVER put off, I feel like I should go on a starvation diet. Then I feel bad if I DON'T eat...decisions, decisions...

    But your comparisons are right on.

    HUGS
    Trish

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  3. What a great thought for the New year! I get what Lori's saying, and when I think of where one manuscript started nearly a year ago and where it is now, it's amazing what we can do with words!!
    My resolution for this new year is to get the courage to put myself out there more. More queries, more learning, more networking, and to steal the NIKE slogan - JUST DO IT! No time like the present.... :)
    Great post, JD!

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  4. Awesome post, J.D.
    Love the analogy! Totally true, and annoying since the constant word flux keeps me in edit mode instead of writing mode where I ought to be. Thank goodness for that ever popular folder entitled, "Previous Drafts." Sometimes I think there's more in the deleted files than there is in the keeper files.
    Yeah, I'm definitely going for a jog.

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  5. I agree, J.D., that was a great analogy. My resolution for the year is to write more. Ironically, my yearly horoscope (I looked it up today), said that if I am a writer this is a good year for it because the words will flow on the page. Hmmm, I hope it is right!

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  6. Loved the post, J.D., but I'd rather not talk about the flab, either on my hips or in my story (sniff). Although I'd best get serious about both :) I'm determined to write more this year, like Kasey.

    Say, Kasey, what's your sign LOL? I hope mine's the same.

    Hugs, Ladies.

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  7. Thanks ladies, and I hope we all have a wonderful year of writing. I have a bad habit of editing while writing instead of just writing straight through the rough draft...ugh. Anyway, I'm participating in Kelly Stone's 90 writing challenge. It started Jan 2. Who else is doing it? Have a great one, ladies.

    HUGS,

    JD :)

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  8. UGH...that should say 90 Day Writing Challenge. heehee. :)

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  9. Barb, I am an Aquarius.

    JD, I never heard that writing challenge...where do you find more information about it?

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  10. The writing challenge is Kelly L Stone's 90 Day Writing Challenge. I sent an invitation to you on your fb page for it. You can look under my friends list and find her listed as well, under Author Kelly L Stone. She has some books out for writers and does workshops as well. Here's a link to her website:

    http://authorkellylstone.com/

    HUGS,
    JD :)

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