There are several phases I go through when I am writing–actually writing–my rough draft of a book.
The first is the honeymoon phase. That’s when you have this “brilliant” idea that is burning a hole in your mind and you can’t wait to share it with the world. It usually last for about the length of the first chapter, if you are lucky, or one or two scenes, if you aren’t.
Once you get through that initial knock-them-off-their-feet chapter and have introduced the reader into what you hope will be at least 20 chapters, you have the rough patch. This is where you have to establish the setting, the situation, the characters, and the context. I call it the Ugly Stepchild phase, and it usually lasts from chapter 2 to about chapter 5. What makes it awkward is that you have a certain amount of baggage to unload–see above–while keeping the reader interested in what is going on. It’s quite the juggling act, and if not done well, you can lose your reader.
We used to say in magazine publishing: “The first magazine isn’t your hardest. It’s the second.” The same goes here, but with chapters. I love writing first chapters, with the caveat that I almost always rewrite them later. But I HATE writing chapters 2 through 5. They’re necessary, but if you’re not careful, they can be dreadfully boring.
In the book I am currently working on, I read chapter 7 to my wife last night. I just finished the rough on it Thursday, and reading it aloud to her is a tradition I have. She give me honest reaction, and reading it out loud helps me spot things I wouldn’t otherwise see. Now that I have finished 7, the ball is truly rolling, and I am excited about writing the next chapters.
I love being an author. I just don’t like writing chapters 2 through 5.
