I find that when I'm editing I need to have something to write as well. It doesn't have to be something that will go somewhere, and the first one I write tends to be something that ends up on the top of my wardrobe.
I recently had an idea for a new novel but wasn't sure what angle to use, how to write it. It was hard because I knew what I wanted to accomplish but not how. I started writing in first person to try to find my new character and I got a long way in before I realised I wasn't happy with it and the narrative wasn't working. I started again using two points of view - the same thing happened I wasn't happy.
The other day I realised that it wasn't just the narrative I didn't like - I hadn't found my actual story. I had the bare bones of it but not the actually movement of it. If you think of it like a series of points that you move around I had about five of the ten points I needed.
I have just started again, from scratch, new narrative and finding my movement and I am happy with what I have done so far. Of course it needs a lot of the dreaded editing and I will probably rewrite and revise it numerous times but right now I think I've finally found my new voice !
