I confess I have been writing a book, at least it seems like a book. It started with a writing prompt in an adult education creative writing course and has taken on a life. I was talking to a friend just yesterday about my concerns. My writing seems to move along, not many details. In fact, where this character lives hasn’t even come up until I went to write her brother’s obituary and found a need to put a name of a town.
So I am worried that I am not putting enough effort into my writing. Everyone talks about it being a hard thing to do. I do notice I will stay away from it for a while. Sometimes it feels like I don’t want to get to the ending. Sometimes it feels like I am going to mess it up because I don’t have a clue about how to write. Then like today, I just got to a “Whoa, didn’t see this one coming!” and “What the heck is she going to do?” So I decided to blog ;-). It’s still writing yet it feels safer, not as important. Why do I think I can’t undo what I write with this character? I truly don’t know. My fear appears to be that I just don’t want it to be trite. I may need to get into her just a wee bit more before I can find what her reaction will be. Or am I just being a chicken?
Don’t know and I hope to remain open to what happens.
In the meantime, here is a funny quote I found while looking for a quote to put on urn holding the ashes of her brother. From Frank Lloyd Write: “A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.”
Not sure what an author can do.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/f/frank_lloyd_wright.html#HeYhppthU4TTuUzb.99
Silence is Selfish - Musings of a Mouse 
I know exactly what you mean Pam, and I’ve felt the same way. Even if you took the focus off of your characters and into your blog, at least your still writing and letting that part of you flow. I’ve learned too, that characters can definitely become something you had not planned and actions can lead you to, “Wow, where did that come from” and “Where is this going?”! You’re doing great!
I just did my daily investigation on the thought, I want to honor my character. Come to find out, I just don’t want to mess up. So maybe I just need to put my big girl panties on and write ;-).
I like your image of equating writing with a knitting project: when you put time, energy and love into something and then realize it just isn’t going to work, it hurts, it aggravates and it exasperates. I’ve had this happen a few times this past week on two separate pieces. Spent a lot of time and research on both but in the end scrapped both of them and started all over. The only thing that I took away was the information I learned while researching. That’s not a bad thing…