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What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

Nina Kaytel

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I'm amazed at how helpful my blog is. I wrote an entry on adverbs today and now I see them everywhere. And I thought I wouldn't learn without being able to take notes by hand. The blogs work better than I hoped since I have to read through and edit them at least three times.
 

Silver-Midnight

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I'm amazed at how helpful my blog is. I wrote an entry on adverbs today and now I see them everywhere. And I thought I wouldn't learn without being able to take notes by hand. The blogs work better than I hoped since I have to read through and edit them at least three times.

I have to admit that your blog is helpful. The Showing vs. Telling thing was great. :D :D
 

ishtar'sgate

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My current WIP is set in ancient Babylon so I was pleasantly surprised to find that blog posts based on my research material were extremely well visited. I was a bit concerned that no one would be interested in the Babylonian Empire but I was wrong. Yes!
 

slhuang

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Erm. So I am about 25,000 words into Book 3 (while Book 1 is in beta and while editing Book 2), and I'd sorta hit a wall.

Until last night. I think I might know where I want to go with it.

Problem is, it's a completely and utterly and totally different direction. It'll mean scrapping that first 25k almost completely and rewriting from the top. It'll mean changing the whole tone of the third book (and thus the tone of the progression in the series), and moving up a plot from the fourth book pretty significantly to start a lot earlier. Also, the themes will be a lot heavier and it'll be a lot angstier, which I was also going to save for the fourth book, because I didn't want TOO much angst going on . . . and it'll mean introducing a character I didn't want to introduce till later . . .

So I DON'T KNOW. The thing is, I like the new plot/premise I've thought of 1000 percent better. I don't *mind* the rewriting part (I'd prefer not to, but it's okay), but I don't want to rewrite the first quarter of the book only to find that I'm discontent because everything's going off a cliff into Angstville and that's not the story I want to write and I have to rewrite it all AGAIN.

The smart thing, I suppose, would be to figure out how to use the plot I've thought of without doing that, but the problem is, it would be stupid not to tie the plot I've thought of into the underlying mythology of the series (because it would fit perfectly), and I can't see how to do that without kicking off the Arc O' Angst I was going to save for book four.

Damn, if only I weren't writing in first person, I could do exactly what I wanted but just not let the main character in on the secret until the very end of the book. :D That would be PERFECT . . . if I were writing in multiple POVs. Sigh. What to do . . .

Sorry, guys. Just working through things out loud here. tl;dr is a bunch of word vomit about my emo writer angst. ;)
 

Nina Kaytel

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Erm. So I am about 25,000 words into Book 3 (while Book 1 is in beta and while editing Book 2), and I'd sorta hit a wall.

Until last night. I think I might know where I want to go with it.

Problem is, it's a completely and utterly and totally different direction. It'll mean scrapping that first 25k almost completely and rewriting from the top. It'll mean changing the whole tone of the third book (and thus the tone of the progression in the series), and moving up a plot from the fourth book pretty significantly to start a lot earlier. Also, the themes will be a lot heavier and it'll be a lot angstier, which I was also going to save for the fourth book, because I didn't want TOO much angst going on . . . and it'll mean introducing a character I didn't want to introduce till later . . .

So I DON'T KNOW. The thing is, I like the new plot/premise I've thought of 1000 percent better. I don't *mind* the rewriting part (I'd prefer not to, but it's okay), but I don't want to rewrite the first quarter of the book only to find that I'm discontent because everything's going off a cliff into Angstville and that's not the story I want to write and I have to rewrite it all AGAIN.

The smart thing, I suppose, would be to figure out how to use the plot I've thought of without doing that, but the problem is, it would be stupid not to tie the plot I've thought of into the underlying mythology of the series (because it would fit perfectly), and I can't see how to do that without kicking off the Arc O' Angst I was going to save for book four.

Damn, if only I weren't writing in first person, I could do exactly what I wanted but just not let the main character in on the secret until the very end of the book. :D That would be PERFECT . . . if I were writing in multiple POVs. Sigh. What to do . . .

Sorry, guys. Just working through things out loud here. tl;dr is a bunch of word vomit about my emo writer angst. ;)

Third books are hard. I talked with an agent years ago who told me to write the first two so they can stand alone, by then the reader is hooked and the third book counts as the series starter. It took me months to settle on the start of the third book and a year to write the damned thing. So I feel you.
 

buz

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Erm. So I am about 25,000 words into Book 3 (while Book 1 is in beta and while editing Book 2), and I'd sorta hit a wall.

Until last night. I think I might know where I want to go with it.

Problem is, it's a completely and utterly and totally different direction. It'll mean scrapping that first 25k almost completely and rewriting from the top. It'll mean changing the whole tone of the third book (and thus the tone of the progression in the series), and moving up a plot from the fourth book pretty significantly to start a lot earlier. Also, the themes will be a lot heavier and it'll be a lot angstier, which I was also going to save for the fourth book, because I didn't want TOO much angst going on . . . and it'll mean introducing a character I didn't want to introduce till later . . .

So I DON'T KNOW. The thing is, I like the new plot/premise I've thought of 1000 percent better. I don't *mind* the rewriting part (I'd prefer not to, but it's okay), but I don't want to rewrite the first quarter of the book only to find that I'm discontent because everything's going off a cliff into Angstville and that's not the story I want to write and I have to rewrite it all AGAIN.

I think the bolded is the answer? ;)

And what's wrong with a cliff into Angstville...:D

Anyway.

Save what you've got.

Start over.

If you find that your new direction isn't where you want to go, you can always return to the old one. And I doubt that, in any case, the words will be entirely wasted.

Just an opinion, not knowing the circumstances, of course :D
 

ap123

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slhuang, I agree with Buz completely.

Save those 25,000 words to a separate file, and go with your gut.

:Hug2:

PS: I think you just got a weird reppie from me. The internets, I'm learning. sigh.
 
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slhuang

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Thanks youz guys for all the sense-talkin'. I :heart: you all.

:e2arms:

From inside all the plot tentacles, sometimes it's so hard to see! :D
 

kkbe

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Yep, sl. Sometimes, it is. Good advice about saving what you've written and moving forward with your new and improved version. There is no set time-table so leave that angst by the wayside. You don't need it. And remember, you are in the driver's seat, you can do whatever the hell you want, take your novels wherever the hell you want, lady. Sounds like you're kind of exhilarated with your idea, which is great, sl.

Enjoy the ride, babe.
 

SpinningWheel

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I have had a Good Day's Writing. I have momentum. I have a chain of causation. My characters are beginning to surprise me but at the same time, I am looking at my first chapter thinking 'I can see exactly why she's going to do what she does on the last page.'

<happy sigh>
 

buz

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I always end up making my characters all delirious and whatever. I think I'm subconsciously doing it just so I can write things like "a limpid voice burbled from the underworld" and "he turned her brain into lizards" and "a metal trap pooted mawly."

Wonder how it'd go if I just cut loose...

...Not that I'd read my own book if I wrote something like that, of course...I must just like being insufferable...only for as long as it's fun. :p
 
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ap123

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How come I'm not writing???????? :Hammer:


I always end up making my characters all delirious and whatever. I think I'm subconsciously doing it just so I can write things like "a limpid voice burbled from the underworld" and "he turned her brain into lizards" and "a metal trap pooted mawly."

Imma rename you Lovecraft. :tongue
 

Chris P

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I'm going through the NaNo to do some preliminary cleanup and get ideas for how I want the last half of it to go. I pooped out at 35,000 words on the actual NaNo, but I'm going to see the project through once I clean it up and see what's missing.
 

Nina Kaytel

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I decided to put everything I learned in the last two months to the test on the Alundra File. I feel like I improved and I do like the story a lot better, but I am nervous to keep going without the critique that I had on the first chapter.
Zombies, man, zombies.
 

RookieWriter

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A year and a half ago I decided I wanted to be a writer, and now I am finally pushing myself enough to write at least 500 words each day. In the past I would sometimes go a few weeks without writing anything other than in my journal. It felt terrible but I felt I had writer's block, and the anxiety that I felt when trying to write a story was high, so I avoided it. Over the summer I started doing some stand up comedy at local open mics, and that pushed me to write jokes and perform them, which then helped me build up enough confidence to write regularly again. Now I'm back to story writing after taking about six or seven months off. Feels great to get back to it. I've decided that even though I want to keep performing comedy I don't want to get away from story writing. They compliment each other in a way because my mind is always pushing for creative ideas and observations now. I feel like I might have truly become a writer this week.
 

rwm4768

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I got back to my epic fantasy today. I'd stopped part of the way through to write another project for NaNo. I'll see if I can get back into the flow.
 

AshleyEpidemic

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I went to edit my novel and instead of editing, I found myself rewriting. I'm not sure this is what I want to be doing, but I'm going for it, for now.
 
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Melanii

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After having finished my major collaboration novel roughly, I have time to write my minor collaboration novel. Except, my "partner" wants to read what I have so far before I can go any further, and he's SLOW. :p

So now I think to myself... "What do I write now? Now that I'm available?"
 

MakanJuu

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I tried activating the voice recognition on my laptop to see if that would speed things up. It really didn't.