I started writing a contemporary romance as an escape.
It was at a time when my crime manuscript was twisting me in knots. I was painstakingly redrafting it and constantly immersed in murder.
It was no wonder I wasn’t feeling very up.
As this new light, escapist, romantic story began to pour out onto the page, my mood lifted. I scribbled and scribbled any opportunity I could and then typed up my chapters.
It felt a little clandestine.
After all I was still working on redrafting my crime manuscript (working title, The Six) and here I was finding pleasure writing a light breezy, romantic story.
I wistfully remembered the early days when my crime manuscript gave me that same buzz.
I’m desperate to get back to The Six, but it’s needy. The next rewrite requires more time than I have, and I need to have time.
The Six was my first love and I want to prove to myself that I can make it work.
Honestly, this contemporary romance is perfectly okay with the casual relationship I’m offering. A snatched hour here, a couple of hours there. It’s also reaping the benefits of my experience with The Six.
As I tip over the halfway mark of this first draft, I’ve gone back to rewrite areas my writers’ group have highlighted need work. I learnt from The Six – fix the early bits before the story gets too unwieldy and less malleable.
So that’s where it’s at and I’m giving myself until New Years to finish a first draft.