Weekly word count: 2800
I've been speaking with a correctional officer and reworking the beginning of Inquisition to be more accurate. It's been a very interesting glimpse into a world which most people will never experience.
This phase is always difficult for me. I feel like a parent with a newborn and a teen off to college. Inquisition is all potential and possibility, the reality of the story hasn't gelled yet. Metamorphosis is effectively out of my hands now. It's too late to do any real second-guessing about plot or characters.
I've heard writers described as the ultimate control freaks, which definitely applies to me. This is the phase where I have the least control. I have to be open to ideas and inspiration if I want Inquisition to be good, so I can't get too attached to any particular ideas at this stage. And I have to trust my instincts for Metamorphosis, trust that I made the right decisions and stop trying to "fix" things.
Recognizing when it's time to let go is one of the biggest challenges for any creative process. There's always the temptation to hold back for one more polish, one more improvement, one more attempt to make the creation match the vision inside the mind. Personally, I think that's what happens when someone spends 10 years writing a "great" novel. They didn't catch the moment when it was time to let it go and move on to the next project. Perfection isn't attainable and if someone dedicates themselves to chasing it, they'll invariably be unhappy with the results.
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