The Writers Journey

 The Struggle Is Real

I have been staring at the same page in my WIP for the past two weeks, erasing everything, rewriting everything, and rewording everything, and it still doesn't feel right. This is the life of a writer. I am in a tight scene—a very emotionally charged scene. It's an IMPORTANT scene that needs to convey a lot of information without sounding like an info dump or a bunch of heads talking. 

It's driving me crazy.

I may be overthinking it, trying too hard to get it right, and need to write it down, move on, and polish it when the story is finished. 

I stare at the words and think ... what is essential? Setting: Kolob Mountain. Fall. Year: 1964. Situation for this chapter: The hunters and their dogs are tracking down a bear that is NOT responsible for the killings. Jack, the park ranger must convince them the bear is not responsible. The men have set out. Jack is following behind with the sheriff. They arrive at a clearing where the men and dogs search for tracks. It is around three in the afternoon. 

 And I am at a standstill. I need an undercurrent of impending doom, a relentless beat that something terrible will unfold. I need emotions and the precise articulation of those emotions. It must be taut and draw the reader in when crafting a scene like this. The ultimate aim is for the reader to be so engrossed in the scene that they feel like they are experiencing it firsthand. I need the reader to be gripped with fear. I need Jack to relay the situation to the sheriff. I need the bear to be sighted and the men to open fire, but something shields the bear and retaliates. 

The scene is necessary and can't be skipped. It is the first of two very big confrontations. The problem is how to convey it so that my main character sees and observes the action without head-hopping into the other characters. Plus, he needs to get everyone out of there or convince them to run, or something needs to happen so they can run away.

The "something" is the issue.

"Lay down the bones," I tell myself. This way, I can come back and flesh it out. 

People think when someone writes, they just magically sit down and spill words onto a page, and it's perfect. It would be nice if that were true. Some days, the words flow easily. Some days, they are a struggle. When you are studying editing and proofreading at the same time, the perfectionist judge rears its head. 

Right now, I need the judge to shut up, so I can get the words out and move on to the next chapter.

Yes, the struggle is real. 



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