Re-evaluation- Even When Things Are Good

I've been thinking about this topic a lot in my writing life and my other life. Reevaluating how I do things - not because anything is going wrong, but because I'm reaching some milestones and I have space and time to do that thinking (unlike the state of near-frenzy I usually find myself in.) It's instinct, I think, to stick to something that is working (if it ain't broke, don't give yourself a hernia trying to fix it) and it makes sense in this hyper anxious world to not fall into the trap of over analyzing every little thing.

But, it's not a bad thing to evaluate your writing from a place of strength - rather than waiting until you hit a brick wall or something goes wrong with your work in process. Notice I didn't say 'if' something goes wrong. You and I both know that it will.

Here's what I'm thinking about with my own writing. Word count, while important in the past, is meaningless to me now. I came to the realization while editing my last book (seven months of intense editing and re-writing) that slowing down a bit will help me be more cohesive during the drafting process, instead of having to inject cohesion later on (which is harder and more painful.) To be fair to myself, my last book was started in the flustered shenanigans of NaNoWriMo, so it makes sense. I just don't want to do it the hard way again. I aim to be the turtle, not the hare.

This time I'm taking my time doing research, building my characters and world, and living in that space for a while.

Last time, I also purposefully did not read any writing books. I was afraid that they would unduly influence me, get me off track, make me lose my momentum. I'm notorious for seeking a 'magic bullet' in how-tos - it's as if the For Dummies books were written with me in mind. But, while that kind of blinkered focus worked for getting BOOKEND out, (and hey, I'm not complaining, it got me agented) it also added to the heavy lifting in the editing stage.

This time I'm using the Breakout Novel Workbook during the drafting process. This book, if not all writing how-tos, is perfect to read while drafting (and not before) because it's expanding. It takes the story you think you have and stretches it in lots of different directions.

So, how do you reevaluate your writing process? Is the best time to look closely at that process right now?