The Making of a Novel: Nature Abhors a Vacuum

The Making of a Novel: Nature Abhors a Vacuum
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

I wrote like a crazy person today -- new pages, new ideas, new thoughts. It's a wild and wonderful feeling, in a way. I have no idea where I'm going, no idea where it's all heading. But I'm just following my instincts and seeing where they lead. I'm fully aware that it's a little soon. I just decided to set a story aside on Monday. It's only Thursday! Couldn't I have waited a little while? Gone to the library, checked out some books, walked on the beach, made some nice dinners for my family?

And isn't there the danger of a "rebound idea" being bad in the way a rebound boyfriend might be? Isn't there the possibility that I'll latch onto a new idea just because it's an idea, and not necessarily because it's a good one?

I suppose so. I wish I were the kind of person who could take a month or two or three to sit back and let a story percolate. I wish I were the kind of person who could step away from the computer. But I'm not. If I know anything about myself, I know that.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot