Photo credit: Sharon Tay on Unsplash

Three days in, and I realized something: I have more material than I thought.

Apparently, this is what happens when you write a slew of discrete scenes in no order: you forget what exists, and you think you need to create when what you really need to do is organize and edit (and in some cases, review the material you wrote the notebooks you took to book events last year so you could write between customers, and see if there’s anything worth keeping).

I know there’s a section that needs to be redone (namely, the climax). Turns out, though, that much of the rest of the plot exists. I’m not saying it’s great or that it doesn’t require more work, but it exists, which is a huge relief. I don’t remember which great writer said you can’t edit a blank page, but they were correct. I have a boatload of stuff that needs editing, a truckload of scenes I’ve already cut that can always be reinserted if needed, and a medium-sized carload of scenes I’ve written to serve as transitions and smaller plot points.

As an example of the latter, it occurred to me a couple weeks ago that one of the minor characters should have a spouse, because that spouse’s quirks provide an excuse for why the minor character wants to buy my main character’s condo. This point, in turn, lets me set up an argument between two major characters so there’s more conflict, thereby raising stakes and showing the growth and development of the characters as they navigate the issue. So I jotted down a few short bits—probably no more than 1,000 words total—that can be woven in at appropriate times to accomplish the larger goals.

All at once, the notion that I just might end up with an actual complete draft in eleven more days feels . . . possible.