I have one of these little guys living in my back yard. His name is Smooch (named by my daughter) and he’s flipping adorable. So adorable, in fact, that I almost let him eat my tulips that just started poking their heads out of the ground. Almost.
Smooch is a perfectly camouflaged little snowshoe hare and has taken up under a fallen spruce tree. He sat there all day, blending in with the needles and shadows so I couldn’t always tell if he was still there until his ear twitched. He’s been there so long that I’ve started to wonder if perhaps there’s a nest of baby bunnies being protected or on its way.
Yes, I realize that would make Smooch a her. But Smooch has been a boy since we moved in a year and a half ago. Old habits die hard. (Hehehe… I almost wrote rabbits instead of habits. Sorry, Smooch!)
How does this tie in to writing? Well, it doesn’t really. I just wanted to post a cute picture and gush about snowshoe hares. But in fact, I just rewrote my first few pages of Hatshepsut and with the help of a wonderful critique partner, discovered some residual stuff from my intro that needed cut. I just couldn’t see it and what I could see I didn’t want to change because it had been there for so long. (Like the rabbit. See, there is a connection!) I felt like I needed permission to chop some of the stuff in there.
Do you have a hard time cutting stuff? Do you ever feel like you need permission before chopping something? Do you like rabbits?
I do like rabbits!
When I'm rewriting, I find that I have a harder time cutting something if I'm working to revise with all the old words on the page still– if I open a fresh new document and start REALLY rewriting the scene, it's a lot easier to leave the stuff out that no longer needs to be there!
I'm glad that you're getting the kinks worked out of these first few pages!
DO I like rabbits!?!
I am, in fact, a bunny aficionado. A bunny fangirl, if you will. My bunny's name is Hop Scotch but she's formally tamed and domesticated. Very cool about the snowshoe hare, though.
There was something else besides bunnies… oh yes! The letting things go thing. Yes, that's always hard. I find the more I like a turn of phrase, the longer I let it stay, even if I know it's not right for the text. And the longer I let it stay the harder it is to get rid of.
Glad you have a crit partner who is helping you see things in a new light!
Amalia- You're a genius! But we already knew that. I'll have to try that next time. I get attached to certain things and have a hard time letting them go.
L.T.- I've decided I adore bunnies. We had three in our yard a while back- that was super fun! And I'm with you- the longer a phrase or sentence stays in a scene, the harder it is to cut it.
(hehehe) I read "rabbits" instead of habits anyway.
See what happens when you write a thought long enough; you always find a way to tie it in with whatever you need.
Sometimes, cutting is hard for me. Depends on the scene. I have a few that I really adore and know at some point they will be deleted. Breaks my heart; so I save what I can in a file marked "deletes". Just in case they can be salvaged for another writing project or used in a different manner.
Of course, when something sits in the deletes long enough, I find I lose a certain attachment to the former darling. I'm just fickle that way.
Loved the bunny post.
……..dhole
I adore rabbits. And Smooch is worthy of adoration. π
Truth is, I don't have that much trouble cutting. I read everything I write aloud over and over. I want to hear how it will sound in the reader's head. Flow and pacing, rhythm and beats are very, very important to me as is spare prose. And since I'm naturally verbose (you'd never guess, would you?), I cut A LOT. But like Donna, I keep it in a delete file⦠just in case.
Smooch seems worthy of a blog post. We have a pet bunny called Wesley – so yes love them lots.
Just as the others mentioned, I cut a lot, but keep everything I cut, certain that I'll use it in another piece.
I have issues cutting things. Yes I do. But it's getting easier. Especially in first draft mode.
That is a cute bunny! Maybe you can feed him other things so he won't eat your tulips?
I absolutely adore rabbits… and I have a hard time cutting things from my MS. But mostly I love rabbits… awwww he/she's so cute!!!
Oh, he is cute! We only have wild demonic looking rabbits around here. Kids are always saying, "Oh he's so cute." And the parents stare at the kid like the kid's lost his mind. I mean seriously demonic looking rabbits!
I like rabbits when they're in someone else's yard. π
They LOVE my lillies and eat an $$$$ amount of my flowers.
Bunnies! So cute.
Smooch is an excellent name for a rabbit. Here we have cats that seem to wander about – no idea where they actually live, but my kids and I have named each one of them.
Remember…disloyalty is a writer's virtue. (from my 4/13 post) π
Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. After I finished the original draft of my WIP (and I use all of those terms loosely–very loosely. This was in 9th grade), I went back and started to read it…and to cut.
I cut about 100 pages, completely rewriting almost everything. Very little is the same, now. And it's far more concise, compared to what it used to be. Scary! But good!
Oh, yeah–and I do like rabbits!
Permission is a pesky thing. I know that is why I have to put my work down for awhile – so it becomes less precious and I am more willing to cut away!
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!
Smooch is sooo cute! I have a bunny living in my backyard too. His name is Peter (I know, creative right?). I do have a hard time cutting things, but sometimes I tell myself it's for the better and just do it.
Your little hare is adorable. One day I hope to find a jackalope outside my apartment window — a mythical creature, most jack rabbit with the antlers of an antelope. Hey, I can dream. Roland
I do like rabbits! (Makes me think of the old Looney Tunes cartoon where Yosemite Sam is talking about Hossenfeffer… ha!)
I have a regular writers' meeting I attend and I find their insights into my WIP invaluable. It's hard to cut things but when they recommend it, it's a lot easier.
Nice blog! I'm a new follower – found you through Lola Sharp. Looking forward to reading more of your entries!
I LIKE BUNNIES!! I take care of six of them at work. Most of them are adorable and sweet, but two want to kill me. They are also adorable.
Creepy TB pics — and I love that Sacrifice poster from Thursday's post… damn skippy.
Smooch and Chester ought to get together. π I've felt that way before, too, like I needed permission or someone's blessing before I cut. Thank goodness for computers so we can keep several drafts/versions and experiment. And yes, I like rabbits. We have one as a pet!