By the time the idea for writing my manuscript came to me, I had read all writing related articles and had a fair handle on how to go about plotting, sketching, planning and writing my manuscript. I also kept reminding myself, quite firmly, one of the best advices that MP ever gave me: don’t edit while you write.
I thought I was prepared for what would happen next.
Spoiler alert – I wasn’t!
Time to take a break from gyaan again and talk about things they don’t tell you about writing a manuscript…
…it’ll consume you and you won’t be able to function or participate in everyday life. You will face at least 11 writer’s blocks and 1500 convictions that you’re pathetic, that your writing is subpar at best and ‘doesn’t this sound like that book I read. Oh my god am I copying!’
You’ll be reading a lot less and this may cause you some anxiety since every rule EVER says to be a good writer, you need to read a lot. And you won’t care about its marketability or readership while you’re deep in the throes of writing.
Some days you’ll be happily surprised by what you have written. On other days you’ll be proud of what you’re writing. This will be so shocking you’ll need a minute to recover.
You will deviate from that outline. Plot develops, expands, evolves as you write. It can be overwhelming and make you feel like giving up. Don’t.
You will be following the story more often than keeping control over it. For a control freak like me, it was anathema. Trusting yourself to know where to go, what to write, how to write is crucial. Don’t brainstorm with others.
There will be copious amounts of sleeping after you have completed a major twist, or finished the manuscript or written something that you absolutely love. It’s just your brain recalibrating. Let it.
You’ll talk to yourself, ask people to do certain actions so you know if the left hand goes up or the right, and basically become an eccentric professor who’s working on his/her manuscript.
You’ll Google weird stuff like should it be poring or pouring, grammar rules, baby name generator, what is that thing called in the boot, parts of a gun, is that what a machete looks like, synonym for anger, lay vs. lie, etc. etc. I also used Google translate a lot…a LOT.
Everyone will hate you because you have basically become a hermit and want to but can’t talk about your story.
But oh well this is the profession you chose, and these are the eccentricities that come with it. For without them, would you really be a writer?
The whole of September, I will be sharing posts on things I have learnt about writing. I am taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa.
tales of Suchita 
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