Returning to the Novel -- Layoffs are Not Recommended

A layoff of over three months has made my return to my novel a thoroughly distressing challenge. In fact, I'm getting the feeling this may be a bit of a start over.

The hiatus was not intentional. Parenting challenges, a move across the country -- were the biggest culprits of my gentle sliding away. But my own shortcomings also played a role.

Shortcomings that have become more evident as I revisit my manuscript and begin to make decisions on how to proceed.

A re-read of my current work and I'm more than pleased with the writing style, the sense of flow, the way characters interact within their environment. They seem to be uniquely individual, well-textured, and believable -- at least to my limited understanding of character. And most of all the dialog is tight, accurate in the way it should be with such characters.

About three quarters of the way through the 180+ pages, I begin to notice a change in the writing. The story, initially a drama on how a perceived indiscretion in a small town unravels the worlds -- in unpleasant fashion -- for all involved, begins to tear away to functional character responses that show a careless hand. The motivations too obvious, too easily explained away by simplistic morality.

I think I was aware of this three months ago, and rather than attack it headstrong and nip the problem in the bud, I let it bleed away silently -- focused more on word count. When it got to a sticking point that I couldn't easily correct, I shelved it amidst the current personal circumstances that were also taking up so much time.

And of course, returning to the work now is like revisiting it for the first time. My mental processes miles away from where they were when I first started. I've even forgotten a few character names and what their role(s) are in the overall plot.

But maybe this is a good thing. An element of objectivity comes with a substantial layoff. I'm more ruthless with my decisions -- and the fact I noticed the narrative's complacency at all is promising. I'm not convinced I would have noticed the problem to its fullest extent three months ago.

So this week the grind begins again. My daughter is in preschool 3 days a week -- which should mean three days of steady writing. Progress be damned. It's not Giller Prize material -- yet.

Unless I keep wasting time with blog posts like this, of course.