As I mentioned previously, following the disappointment of having a publisher pull out of a contract on a self help book, I've turned back to novels and pulled out one that I wrote some time ago with the aim of doing some serious editing and rewriting.
Editing Pass One is now complete and I have more of an idea as to what needs to be changed and added in order to help make it a better piece. I've done some of this but there's still definitely plenty to go and sometimes it does feel a bit overwhelming and a case of 'I'm not even sure how to do all this!'. That's a bit scary and the confidence goes a bit wobbly and I have plenty of moments when I sit there and think 'What on Earth made me think I could do this?!'
But then I read this quote on Twitter:
'A writer should always feel like he’s in over his head'.
~Michael Cunningham
To be honest, it made me feel a lot better, and relieved a bit of that 'Is it just me?' worry. So whilst I may well be in over my head, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
In the meantime, I shall keep doing my best to bob to the surface for large gulps of air and then dive back in with my characters. With a bit of luck, we'll all get there in the end.
Do you ever feel like you're in over you head, and has there been a quote that's helped you along? I'd love to hear so feel free to leave a comment below!