A time to read and a time to write

I have this rule, that when I'm working on a story I'm not allowed to read a book. I believe there is a time for reading, and a time for writing, and that the mixing of the two can be disastrous. I don't want what I'm working on to be affected by what I'm reading, and usually the distraction of getting caught up in a book makes it near impossible for me to get back to work.

WELL. After discovering that I need to write double what I already have written to finish my book (I will pull ten more chapters out of the ether so help me), the overwhelming thought of having to add more to a story I feel I have completed has stunted my progress. I know where I need to go in and add more but I feel like I need time, like a full 12 hour day to accomplish that, and as we have discussed previously, I don't have that time right now. So instead of chipping away at the small revisions I can do, I picked up a new book and lost myself in it.

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (she's known for writing 101 Dalmatians, I Capture the Castle was also made into a movie but isn't as popular) was truly enthralling. Her descriptions, her narrative voice and her refusal to acquiesce to what the reader would want was spectacular. I love a book that doesn't give into a predictable plot line. You root for these eccentric characters, and you feel their misfortunes. I loved it, it was brilliant and I would recommend it wholeheartedly.

Now that I've finished that, I'm determined to do what little revisions I can until I can sit down for an extended period of time to write the new chapters. The problem with adding more content is that I haven't imagined more. I have to let my creative juices flow so I can manifest something completely new and unplanned, which is much more difficult than writing something that, in my mind, I've already mapped out.

I printed it out what I already have, (all 157 pages of it) and I'm going to go through and do more edits the old school way. Wish me luck.