I cracked open my 2017 Nano novel today, a month and 6 days after I finished writing it. Last year, I only managed to wait 2 weeks to go back in! The wait feels like a success in and of itself since restraint and patience are not typically in the vocabulary of words used to describe me.
I credit Stephen King’s On Writing and a year’s worth of writing practice with my newfound resolve, and I can see the benefit of the distance from the piece. There really is something to be said for getting far enough from the creation to be able to see it with fresh eyes.
I’m only one chapter in so far and I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would. This novel is significantly shorter than my 2016 creation, so I imagine I’ll be able to finish reading it this week.
I’m making myself read it without editing – just letting the words and the story wash over me. The second read-through will be done with red pen in hand. For now, it’s just a story crafted by past-me, in a genre that is outside of my usual reading material, about a world that is only 1/3 created (this is book one of three, I think).
Onward!