"That first person stuff cuts both ways. It gives you speed, but you're up against the fact that nothing can happen except through the eyes of the hero."
- P.G. Wodehouse, on the writing of Thank You, Jeeves
Oh, Wodehouse, don't I know it. Although I'm also up against the fact that I'm not you. You didn't have to deal with that particular difficulty.
Anyway, I've gained some encouragement, with regard to having to rewrite and so on, from the fact that Wodehouse apparently had to rewrite most of the scenes in Thank You, Jeeves. You wouldn't think it to read it--it all feels so natural, as if he just opened some wellspring inside himself and it all came bubbling forth. But, little by little, I'm learning that no author really does write on pure inspiration. It's a job. The inspiration is a secondary force.
On that note, I should really stop posting and go back to my draft. One of my side characters is surprising me by being quick-witted and sharp as a tack instead of the daydreamer I'd envisioned him as. I'd like to explore this.
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