Ah yes, who doesn't love a good compost analogy. Being acquainted with the physical stuff in my own garden, and having read up on the topic via esteemed composter Mr M Don, I know exactly of what you speak, Emma :) I am in that early, early stage of building my compost pile for my new WiP. It is proving quite useful to focus on the construction of said compost whilst I await the MS Assessment of my last WiP. Firstly in goes lots of 'carbon' material (character, high-level plot structure, the 'dirty pitch' and themes that will keep the thing within certain 'rails'). Later, perhaps as a distraction to the trial that agent-submission-processes always are, I will add to my WiP's compost with the nitrogen matter - leafy psych descriptions of main characters, flowery moments of minor-characters that will add to the whole rich, earthy soil (soul) feeding narrative! :) I'm not rushing. No one is desperate for my writing, no one is saying "where is her next paragraph?" - I have time to let the compost compost :) Thanks, Emma.
I found this really helpful, having got stuck early in on a new project and drifted back to the previous one. Now I feel confident that this is natural and going to make the new one work - in time - I hope! Thanks Emma xx
So glad it helps, Helen. I wonder if we can blame Freud for the idea we so often assume, that if something isn't happening naturally and spontaneously, then it's our subconscious trying to tell us it's The Wrong Thing? Obv sometimes it is - but sometimes it being difficult, or wanting to be left alone, is just business as usual and, as you say, we can trust that it'll all work out.
For our next Alice & Anselm novel (set in 1290) we’re writing a Lay about the events. This is proving a v interesting way of working out plot & motivation.
Ah yes, who doesn't love a good compost analogy. Being acquainted with the physical stuff in my own garden, and having read up on the topic via esteemed composter Mr M Don, I know exactly of what you speak, Emma :) I am in that early, early stage of building my compost pile for my new WiP. It is proving quite useful to focus on the construction of said compost whilst I await the MS Assessment of my last WiP. Firstly in goes lots of 'carbon' material (character, high-level plot structure, the 'dirty pitch' and themes that will keep the thing within certain 'rails'). Later, perhaps as a distraction to the trial that agent-submission-processes always are, I will add to my WiP's compost with the nitrogen matter - leafy psych descriptions of main characters, flowery moments of minor-characters that will add to the whole rich, earthy soil (soul) feeding narrative! :) I'm not rushing. No one is desperate for my writing, no one is saying "where is her next paragraph?" - I have time to let the compost compost :) Thanks, Emma.
I found this really helpful, having got stuck early in on a new project and drifted back to the previous one. Now I feel confident that this is natural and going to make the new one work - in time - I hope! Thanks Emma xx
So glad it helps, Helen. I wonder if we can blame Freud for the idea we so often assume, that if something isn't happening naturally and spontaneously, then it's our subconscious trying to tell us it's The Wrong Thing? Obv sometimes it is - but sometimes it being difficult, or wanting to be left alone, is just business as usual and, as you say, we can trust that it'll all work out.
For our next Alice & Anselm novel (set in 1290) we’re writing a Lay about the events. This is proving a v interesting way of working out plot & motivation.
Can you describe a Lay, please, Nicholas? I haven't come across that before.