Caution: Daunt Ahead

The difference between writing towards a distant deadline and writing towards a concrete, fast approaching deadline is vast. I would venture to say that while a deadline can be a good thing in the fact that it can be a great impetus to write, it does horrible horrible things to the actual content of the writing.

Previously I was working under the impression that I am supposed to have all twenty plus pages of my story done in a rough draft by the beginning of Midterm Break, that is March 7th.  Now I come to find that I am probably expected to have the first ten in a rough draft form by the time we workshop, which will very likely be next week. I will admit that I had not yet gotten around to the actual writing of my story, so a push in that direction may be a much needed thing, but I don't like the prospect of writing ten pages in a week amid all the other assignments that I have to do. I wouldn't say it's an impossible task, but I'm certain the writing will hardly be worth workshopping and with that workshop aspect looming over my head, it will be ten times harder to write now. I always find that with a workshop like this, I all of a sudden feel a pressing need to write a better rough draft than I or anyone ever does. And since that is in fact unobtainable, the writing process slows even further. Write early and write often may be the words to live by.

Thus far I've only been planning out my story, not actually writing. I know that I need to write soon, before I ever feel ready, but I still feel there are questions to be answered before I begin. I still don't really know why she gets these visions. Do I even need to specify? I feel that if I am trying to appeal to an audience that does not typically read much fantasy, I should try to give a real world explanation of sorts. But what might that be? And the other really big question that I know I need to answer before I write is, where does this story begin? I'm not sure I've thought that concretely yet. I guess I maybe envisioned it starting in a fantasy and then snapping to the present which is mid-class while the students are taking a test or something? I also should take a little time I think and plan out the three? four? kinds of fantasies and the real world problems they relate to. Ok so I get one little tiny piece of security blanket planning and then it's time for the real work to begin.

I so wish I owned a quill.