First Signs of Spring

The first signs of spring. Crocuses.

Every time I make a major change in my story, it sharpens and starts to come to life. I began my story in first person, but it never flowed the way I wanted it to. So I changed it to 3rd person. Past tense. For a while, that worked. My writing flowed. And then, it stopped. I wasn't happy any longer with the way it flowed.

I made another big change yesterday: 3rd person. Present tense. Even though the change is intimidating and I am running out of time, it was the right choice. My story is becoming even sharper now, instead of a distant, fuzzy image, it is close and clear. The desire to write is back, strong and forceful. When I am not writing, I am thinking of writing. Possible scenes float through my head. I imagine their conversations, think of characters interactions, and they come to life and are the ones who dictate the story, not me.

They are like friends to me. I am telling their story, finding the right medium. Like an artist that plays with watercolors, charcoal, paper, canvas, I play with point of view, present tense, past tense, write the story first from one character, then another. Work and re-work until I find what is right. What fits.

I have learned to take breaks and pace myself, because there are weeks that I write for too long and burn myself out until it is all I can do to squeeze a few words out of my parched imagination. But now I feel the impending deadline: less than a week to finish my story and print it out so I can edit it. One week before I go home and find work and my writing is not the center of my day.