Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 2

Atlanta Nights was a special project for a particular purpose. At which it succeeded brilliantly.

James D. Macdonald said:

Atlanta Nights was a special project for a particular purpose. At which it succeeded brilliantly.

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I know we're not supposed to compare ourselves and our writing to anyone...

Sometimes, when I need the shot in the arm about my ability (or rather, inability) to recognize bad writing when I see it (many times on the forums I see discussions and think to myself 'I didn't think it was bad'), I come back to the blurb posted there and say 'yeah, okay, see that is bad'.

What impresses me is that it's purposely written to be bad. Makes me wonder if it was harder to write badly on purpose than it is to write well on purpose.

I am really digging your thread, Uncle Jim. Thanks!

My pleasure, dirtroadfilms.

My secret goal is to get more neat books to read.

This is the first I have ever heard of Atlanta Nights.

Brilliant.

Just. Brilliant.

Uncle Jim, I love Atlanta Lights now! Who wouldn't love stuff like

He helped his chum sit in the new wheelchair, and then pushed it rapidly toward the gleaming doors of the high-rise tower. The soft Southern breeze blew the sweet scent of magnolias over them as he said, “This is certainly something new for me.”

“Never say that,” he replied.

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Did RH wave a white flag? Cool.

I know the advice is to always worry about finishing your first draft and carry on with edits & revisions in the second draft, and it is very good advice. By following it, I've been able to hammer out a number of first drafts.

But then I get stuck in revisions and can never escape them. It's not even that I'm a perfectionist (well, not completely), I just feel like the first draft is so terrible it's either impossible to fix or, at the very least, more trouble than it's worth. Anyone else in this state? How do you get yourself out of it?

Okay, have you been leaving them to age in your desk drawer for a few weeks? Come back with fresh eyes?

If it isn't worth fixing, well, value judgment that only you can make.

Too hard? Perhaps, but this isn't an easy art. To get the results, we have to do the work.

Have you gotten a copy of, say, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers or The First Five Pages? Perhaps take the first draft, and write an outline based on that draft?

Dig in, edit a few pages a day (while continuing to write new original material), and see if you can get to a second draft.

(Something that other writers do -- having finished the first draft, write the second draft from memory.)

James D. Macdonald said:

Atlanta Nights was a special project for a particular purpose. At which it succeeded brilliantly.

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I've long held a deep appreciation for the artistry of the atrocity, the incomprehensible depths of quality below what a mere incompetent could ever produce. Creative works so unspeakably terrible that only a master could have produced them.

Atlanta Nights is, to my mind, a true masterpiece.

Also, get a copy of The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel and read carefully the part on revision/editing. That is the truest book on writing you'll ever find.

James D. Macdonald said:

Okay, have you been leaving them to age in your desk drawer for a few weeks? Come back with fresh eyes?

If it isn't worth fixing, well, value judgment that only you can make.

Too hard? Perhaps, but this isn't an easy art. To get the results, we have to do the work.

Have you gotten a copy of, say, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers or The First Five Pages? Perhaps take the first draft, and write an outline based on that draft?

Dig in, edit a few pages a day (while continuing to write new original material), and see if you can get to a second draft.

(Something that other writers do -- having finished the first draft, write the second draft from memory.)

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Oh, they've aged all right (almost 3 years for one manuscript). I'll pick up the books you've suggested--Self-Editing for Fiction Writers I devoured once a few years back, maybe a reread will get my juices flowing again.

My editing woes stem mainly from the fact that the BIC, no-rereading no-revision method, while it's almost terrifyingly effective at producing a completed manuscript, is doing exactly what I've learned never to do in any other part of my life: dash out something sloppy and leave it for future me to clean up.

MumblingSage said:

My editing woes stem mainly from the fact that the BIC, no-rereading no-revision method, while it's almost terrifyingly effective at producing a completed manuscript, is doing exactly what I've learned never to do in any other part of my life: dash out something sloppy and leave it for future me to clean up.

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Okay, then, you've learned that something doesn't work for you.

Do something different.

But what to do with those manuscripts?

Try treating each manuscript, not as a manuscript to be revised, but as an outline from which to write the real novel.

Dear Uncle Jim,

My son wanted me to do NaNoWriMo. After reading Atlanta Nights, I frequently wished that I had been able to write a chapter. For NaNo, I lived out my dream and wrote a novella, Atlanta Sunsets: The Musical. I would love to share it with you if you like! It is PG-13. The musical numbers in it are catchy, especially the Grand Finale!

Best wishes,
C.bronco

C.bronco, why not share it with the world (with links here to where we can find it)?

The Thomas Hardy Plot Generator (in the right sidebar).

Combine this with They Fight Crime and Your Pirate Name Generator to add merriment.

Then roll in The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot.

Hey, you've got your outline!

Thirty days to write the novel (3K word/day).

Thirty days to age it in your desk drawer.

Sixty days to revise it.

Thirty days for beta-readers to read and comment on it.

Sixty days to revise it.

Seven months from today, you're ready to start querying agents!

James D. Macdonald said:

C.bronco, why not share it with the world (with links here to where we can find it)?

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I don't have it online, but I could upload it if I knew where or how.

I did it! Huzzah! It's in Share Your Work. (On my computer, though, the font looks very small.)

James D. Macdonald said:

The Thomas Hardy Plot Generator (in the right sidebar).

Combine this with They Fight Crime and Your Pirate Name Generator to add merriment.

Then roll in The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot.

Hey, you've got your outline!

Thirty days to write the novel (3K word/day).

Thirty days to age it in your desk drawer.

Sixty days to revise it.

Thirty days for beta-readers to read and comment on it.

Sixty days to revise it.

Seven months from today, you're ready to start querying agents!

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*tries to resist doing this*

*fails*

Atlanta Sunsets is here. (Password: vista)

Thank you!

It's a lovely thing. Nearly unreadable. I'm sure PublishAmerica would offer a contract in a heartbeat.

Oh! Do you really think so? I can only hope that they read through as far as Chapter Niney, then I would have it in the bag. Dreams can come true!

Uncle Jim,

I know that a lot of times when I come to your thread and ask for help, the short, sweet, and simple answer is really just sit down and write. The only problem is I can't, well, I can't with a certain type of story, if that makes sense.

The issue is, well, I like to write fan fiction. Sometimes anyway; I don't do it half as much as I used to. I think there is nothing wrong with that. I don't think there's anything wrong with reading it either. However, me, personally, I read in more fandoms than I actually write for. And lately, this one particular "fandom" has been bugging me (fandom feels like the wrong word honestly), not necessarily to write in it per se, but just in general. And it's starting to affect some of my ideas. Not all of them, thankfully. And it's like my brain is trying to compensate or I'm trying to (subconsciously) end my slight fixation with this thing by/through original fiction. However, the problem is because I previously thought like that, now, I can't write a particular genre(or genres) of original fiction, that I usually like to write, because I automatically default into "fan fiction" mode, and I try to make the story fit or make sense for that thing.

And logically, the answer would be just write for thing and get it over with. One problem, a very big problem, I really, really don't want to write for it. Not really. So, I don't get what my deal is.

So, now I basically can't write a certain type of story or else it gets "converted" to something else and I just lose all ability to write.

And so, now, to further that problem, I don't know if I should just take a break until I'm sure it's out of my system (not write at all or just short stories or whatever, nothing "major") because what if this problem migrates into the other types of stories I like to write, or if I should continue working on the WIPs I have now, letting the problem resolve itself while I work on these stories?

--

Also is it wise to write a story that may or may not fall into a genre you haven't really red before, not really?