Technique Tuesday: Thoughts on Works in Progress

Last week I sent off my packet of work to my VCFA advisor. I felt great about my essays and my reading but my creative work, an excerpt from a novel in progress, felt like total word puke. My advisor was kind, basically saying that the work had potential but asking me to dig deeper into my character. What were his deepest dreams and desires? Where was the heart of this story?

Her comments made me think of another work in progress, the 1891 farmhouse my husband and I are restoring. Check out the photos below.

You see a dreamy writing space, right? No? You see piles of trash? Stuff that doesn't belong, like extra doors and appliance boxes? You see a hole in the sagging ceiling and an unfinished floor?

Just like my work in progress, my writing space in progress needs major work. But when I look at these photos, I see my vision for this place. I see what first drew me to it: the incredible lighting and its potential to be an open, airy space for letting my creativity loose.

This is what I needed to do with my current writing project. I needed to think about why I wanted to write this story in the first place. Behind all my mess, what was it that drew me to my character? I also needed to dig deep into my character's hopes and dreams. What is his vision for himself?

And now it's time to start taking bets on which will be finished first, the writing space or the novel. :-)