(no subject)

I've been seeing some discussion on the flist lately of what keeps a good story going, or what drives one to finish a story, and I don't think you can say it's one thing for all people, but I know in my case it's pretty simple:

Love it.

Love it so hard it hurts. Love what you're writing (otherwise, uh, why are you writing it?). Love it like you love a child that just smeared ketchup on the wall. Cos you're gonna hate it like a child that just smeared ketchup on the wall, but underneath you still love it. Love, love, love your writing.

I had the privilege of seeing Octavia Butler speak at a writers' conference when I was in high school, and I remember most distinctly hearing her talk about killing a story. She'd written it and rewritten it so many times that it wasn't the thing she'd loved anymore. So she let it go. She got rid of it and started on another story, because she didn't love it deeply enough to keep trying to fix it. It takes guts to do that, but it's the right thing to do.

Frankly, I hate LC right now. I'm sick of writing it and I have no idea what I'm doing. The only reason I haven't chucked it is that I LOVE where it's going. So I accept that the next few chapters are just going to suck to write. They are. But dude, the end of year two is going to rock. I love the end of year two. I love year three because I get to write Lucius and year four because Draco gets to prove himself and year five because Harry falls in love and year six because it's a mystery still and you all have no idea the ride I'm going to take you on.

And I love it.

So yeah.

Love what you write. That's why Amid My Solitude and Year In The Life and Stealing Harry and Acts Infernal and Sweet Home exist. Because there was something in them that I loved, and I can't tell you what, but I know it when I see it.

And now I'm off to eat something and take a nap. Because I did not love this day.