Dear Hope #2

Dear Hope,

That was quite a post you wrote. I too, often struggle with the balance of reading and writing. Sometimes I'll go a month without reading in favour of writing, then I'll focus on reading the next month. It ebbs and flows. I'm in this for the long haul, so I try not to stress about it. As long as you're reading and writing, stress about bigger issues.

On Boon, firstly my most public congratulations on finishing your novel. I'm so fucking proud of you. (No, I'm not going to BEEP out the cuss words on my blog, I don't come with a filter.) FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, FUCKITY, FUCK!

*clears throat*

Now that that's out of my system. I felt a sense of achievement when I finished my first novel. It lasted all of a minute. Then I realised that I'd actually only just begun. Writing the novel was the starting point, even if it felt like climbing Everest with a broken leg, a boulder on your back and your intestines in a saddle bag. 

It's like Chuck says "Finish Your Shit", but that's only step one or mountain one. Now we must conquer the next. Hell, let's take on the Great Wall Of China while we're at it.

I'm surprised that you're bored now you've written Boon. Why aren't you writing something else? If you don't focus on something else, then of course you're going to obsess. As for the time to wait before commencing the editing process, you can't wait long enough. Take the time you think will be enough and double it, triple it if you have to. Just stay the fuck away from the manuscript.

At the Sydney Writers' Festival, Michael Connelly mentioned that he threw away his first two novels. Well, at first he put them out of sight and swore no one else would ever read them. Over time they made their way into the trash. I lament thinking about doing that. However, he does have a point. That first novel is always rough. Perhaps it does take a few to weed through the horse shit to the maggots. I'm certainly in no position to provide advice on this area. 

Long story short, there's nothing more BADASS than a book junkie, so read up my sista from another mista!

Mad <3

Alysha