Does a Good Writing Day Wear You Out?

Today I spent a lot of time rewriting three chapters in my novel. I had sort of painted myself into a corner, so I had to unpaint a little trail out of that corner, got rid of some very good stuff, and added some very good other writing. Some of it was average writing, but what is average to some is a treasure to others. I think what I added wasn't as good as what I took away, but I had to do something to get the plot back on track. You can't have a dead guy come back to life, you know.

So my question to the world of writers out there is: Are they like me, that is, does one or two hour of serious writing or rewriting wears you down? It's kind of like I wrote a fight scene, but when I was done writing it, I felt very much like I'd been through the fight, in fact, I've been through it receiving each of the two fighters blows. I was kind of sweating and tired afterwards, just like I have been in a real fight. Of course, I won't need any bandages, no real blood flowed, no broken bones -- maybe some bony fingers from too much typing -- but golly Miss Molley & Craft Cheese Whiz, I do get pooped.

Probably, it's a good sign, like I really get into it.

Take yesterday, please! (This is my Henny Youngman imitation. Now there's a great first name to add to my name list.) Quoting the funny man: "The food on the plane was fit for a king. 'Here, King!' "

Back to my thread, only yesterday, for example, I ran wild. I pounded out three hours of writing, 1100 words, many of them not new, I just improved the order in which things happen, and, like I said, got rid of some plot point that couldn't have happened, unpainting myself out of that idiotic corner.

How do other writers do what they say they do, write for seven hours a day, five days a week, without completely wearing themselves out? These people must be geniouses beyond my ability to imagine.

There are so many pitfalls to watch out for and move carefully around. Alway, we need to bring in movement, new information; conflict; develop realistically the relationships between talker and listener during dialog, and show (not tell) how the content of the dialog and body language changes the relationship. A key character's motivation must rise from his personality traits and (unwritten) backstory, must stay consistent. Deciding when to explain something a little bit subtle that is necessary later on or deciding simply to let the reader figure it out is a tough choice for me. Coming up with character quirks, making sure the eyebrows are doing the right thing, frowning or rising, without the descriptive words sounding hoaky. I must try to write in a style that is bare and sapare as possible to save precious ink and the reader's time, and I must put enough variety into the chosen words and sentences that the reader stays interested, no, captiviated, enthralled the whole time, for nearly every single page in the novel. Now that's hard.

I make it sound totally hopeless, and that is no accident. I've put up with the dream this far, but it isn't a frivolous question. I'm perfectly serious. Do you need three days away from it after each days struggle with adding, pruning, and improving your novel?

Strangely, I'm on the last five chapters of my seventh go-over (rewrite paints misleading picture) and the story is exciting enough at this point--it's the climax--I'm thrilled that it's all about done, and the resolation, to me, is satisfactory. But will it be to agents and publishers? Maybe that weary thing is just for the middle chapters. Or , hey, just maybe I have dull middle chapters that need to to be axed.

I admit, my novel's a bit long, my writing is very detailed, cinematic I have been told, but the doggone thing is only a couple of weeks away from the query letter phase, and, as I say, I'm elated. --rb