I could never be a time traveler. Working on this project has shown me how disorienting time travel could be. Take yesterday. I researched 1957 and found that yes, the man was right, there actually was an earthquake during school. I found the newspaper article to prove it. Then I came home and typed an interview from a student who was at Pilot Mountain School in the late 1960's. To discombobulate me even more, the chapter I'm currently writing is in the 1950's and my revising is in the 1940's.
I'm all over the place, so I've had to put the 1940 revising to the side and keep my train of thought narrowed to the 1950's. But then I meet up with a lady who says, "You've just got to talk to this man. He was here when the school first opened." How can I resist!
Catch of the day,
Gretchen
I had the same problem when I was writing, "They Called Me Blue," and I only had my critique group after me with edits, not enthusiastic folks bombarding me with stories from different decades.
ReplyDeleteStop, get the interview then keep on writing.
If you keep looking back to see what you've done, you'll never move forward. Edit later. Your critique group will keep up, I promise.
Gretchen,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're being molded for science fiction and time travel in the next book.
Hurry! We need these stories...they are us?
ReplyDeleteJC