Post-Revision Crash
Posted by annastan on July 30th, 2010. Filed under: WIP, Writing Rants.On Monday afternoon, I finished reading through my fairy tale revision one last time and decided it was finally ready to send off to my agent. After it was out of my hands, I was excited and exhausted all at the same time. And that was the beginning of what I’ve been calling the “post-revision crash.”
There’s a weird sense of emptiness I always get the day after I finish a big revision. Tuesday I wandered around aimlessly, my fingers itching to work on something but my brain still stuck on the fairy tale. So I told myself to relax and kick back with a book. It kind of worked.
Wednesday the sense of emptiness turned into irritation. Now that the revision was done, I felt like I should start thinking about what to work on next. But the other projects waiting in the wings are in their infancy; diving into them might be a bit premature, especially since I’ll probably have to do some more revising once my agent gets back to me about the fairy tale. So I tried to keep myself distracted, and tried very hard not to think about writing.
Thursday I hit a wall. Not only could I not think about writing; I couldn’t think about anything else either. It was like my brain had decided that if it couldn’t write, it wasn’t interested in doing anything at all. I was in full-out crash mode.
And now it’s Friday and I’m feeling cautiously optimistic. I may not get any writing done today, but I’ve decided to at least sit down and try to brainstorm ideas for some possible other projects. And since the fall semester is quickly approaching, it wouldn’t hurt to do some work on my syllabi either. So it looks like, days later, I might finally be coming out of my post-revision crash.
Have you ever experienced a post-revision crash? What do you do to get yourself back on track again?
July 30th, 2010 at 9:31 am
I have. And it’s terrible. I wander around feeling lost until my brain is ready to start plotting again.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:07 am
I think I would like to feel that way because it would mean I’d made it through the revision. I’m stuck in the revision stage, where lots of little things bug me and I can’t figure out how to fix them. Sadly, banging my head on the desk hasn’t helped.
Good luck today!
July 30th, 2010 at 10:33 am
I haven’t revised an entire novel yet, only short stories. When I finish one, I start another story soon after, but I usually take a couple days break between projects. It’s good to relax and replenish the mind for a little bit. I hope you hear good news from your agent for your revision!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Congrats on turning in the revision! That’s huge! and I’ve found a little bit of time in between is a good thing.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Read. Brainstorm new stuff….maybe even jot down scenes that come to mind. Let your brain have some play-around-with-writing time before it has to start back to writing-work-mode.
Congrats on being done!
Shelley
July 30th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Hi Anna. Look at me with my good timing. I returned to your blog for such a good post!
I haven’t had any crashes with writing yet. Probably because I have the freedom to write as slowly as I want to. And I take advantage of the fact. Although I try to write everyday, sometimes I’ll just write one sentence in my journal. It’s like going at five miles per hour. So even if there were a crash at the story’s end, it would cause no more than a dent in my vehicle.
July 30th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Laura P, it’s a very disconcerting feeling, isn’t it? I’m glad it’s only temporary.
Sheila, sometimes revisions take waaay longer thank we’d like them to, but don’t worry, you’ll get there! Try not to bang your head too hard in the meantime.
Laura M, I guess that time off is part of the writing cycle, and you’re right, it’s a good opportunity to regroup and start thinking about the next project.
Thanks, PJ! I’ve never been very good at taking breaks, but I really have to learn!
Shelley, that’s good advice. I guess I can’t rush working on a new project, but it’s a good opportunity to play around with some ideas.
Dominique, there is nothing wrong with slow and steady! In fact, I think some great work can come out of letting things evolve naturally instead of rushing to be done. Happy writing!
July 31st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
I think your crash is just normal downtime, Anna. You’ve got the exhilaration of finishing the draft, and at the same time now that it’s done you can notice how tired you are. You need a few days to decompress and just be. It’s all good.
July 31st, 2010 at 7:02 pm
My crashes usually go like this: “Woohoo, I’m done! I finished a draft!” then “Holy crap, I’ve got so much more to do.” then “Why did I think I could do this?” then “Ooo chocolate!”
So I recommend chocolate
And I second the “lots of reading” idea above.