Moving On

You might think that after writing forty-some-odd books and being a published author for over 15 years, I'd have no worries about what I'm doing when it comes to writing a book.

Wrong.

If anything, I think I have more worries and concerns than I did in the halcyon days of my innocence, when I just sat down and wrote what I wanted in blissful ignorance. Now, I can all too easily imagine what some oh-so-clever reviewer will find fault with, or that I'm hitting too many readers' pet peeves, or my Esteemed Editor will think the pace is off. I question everything and anything.

The one thing experience has taught me, though, is that sometimes, I just have to move on, trusting that if there's something wrong, I'll figure it out eventually. Or my Esteemed Editor will, and I'll get to fix it.

That's what I'm trying to do at the moment, lest I wallow around the first two chapters for the next several days. See, there's a scene I'm not sure about. I can rationalize it's place in the story, but I'm worried it's too slow. But if I take it out, I might be leaving crucial information too late. What to do, what to do?

Well, move on. And hope that, when I come back to it again, I'll be more sure about whether I need that scene, or not.

ETA: Okay, so here's what else I should also know by now -- if I have doubts about a scene, that's a Big Freakin' Clue to take the dang thing out.

Which is what I'm doing now, because of course I found another place to add the material I was so worried about.

How long have I been at this again? Sigh.....