Adventures in Writing: Behind the Nibbles
I wanted to show this because just like every story I write, even the Sizzling Nibbles are important. And just like the stories I write, I sometimes struggle with them as well. Sometimes I will even post one I feel that I rushed or forced and doesn’t quite resonate. The one I’m not thrilled with, someone absolutely adored. I laughed and told them my feelings and they said that’s okay.
So I want people to know, you don’t always have to like what you write. Did the Sizzling Nibble make me squirm even though I wasn’t into it or proud of it? Yes, yes it did. If the sexy scenes don’t make me wet or make me wiggle with desire while I write them, then I move on. If the short scene doesn’t seem to work at all, I set it aside and move on to something else.
While it appears there are only 8 Sizzling Nibbles (written by me, 9 if you include Nicci Haydon’s) there are others out there that haven’t been finished, turned into something else entirely, or aren’t quite working and have been put aside until I look at them and can figure out how to use them and where.
You should never ever (NEVER EVER) throw out writing. Do Not Delete. Do Not Shred. Keep the things that you cut in a file because there will be some point that you’ll be thinking, writing away at the speed of a hungry cheetah and a light bulb will explode. You’ll remember a smidgen of a sentence, a turn of phrase that you used, a description of something you need, the color of a chair you mentioned. And if you keep the text that you cut out of other stories, you’ll have them there waiting for you. Don’t stop typing like a hungry cheetah, though. Simply stick a note like {{Check CUTS file from StoryName for ThisIdea}} and keep going.
I have other folders just like this one. I have stories that have an A, B, and C rewrites. The Supervisor Sexcapades folder is a mess that I need to fix (and have been avoiding by writing the Fix-It Fast Series). The 7 Days of Sin folder has pre-made files for each day of the week. I’m currently working on Monday. Yes, I started on Saturday and then moved to Tuesday. It’s okay. Being a creative means I don’t have to work in a linear way. The story will be done when the story is done. You’ll know when it’s done by the feeling of completion that comes with it. Your muse will say “Yes, now what’s next?”
You and Mintie should talk. She’s all about deleting things permanently in her blog post!
I’m in between. I’ll delete scenes and paragraphs, and just replace them. But if it’s a whole story I’ll put it aside, kept but with little chance of picking it back up again.
Mostly I don’t reuse things, but just seeing the names of the files is sometimes enough to spark an idea.
Oh I’ve deleted blog posts… I have no qualms about doing that! Blog posts are different from stories, though. Stories are a gold mine of information. I’ve used something from one story that didn’t work in another story that did. I like having access to all of my crazy. lol
Well, sometimes something that’s crazy and doesn’t work in one story can be just the right fit for another!