Where are you? (in your novel)
- Thread starter maxmordon
- Start date
In other words, you're swamped? Get some rest. If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything.
The closer I get to the end, the farther off it gets.
Yeah, I've started writing myself notes at the start of each scene so I know who is where. I'm not sure that is going to help, though.
Rudeness? Omygod!!
Show-off.
Show-off.
Now you mention it, I am damn tired.
I'm trying to set up a scene that I've already written the end for. Some good stuff, that ending, but the beginning is eluding me.
The week-end, which for me/us is Sunday and Monday, has a way of stealing my writing focus. I thought I could fix that by making sure to spend at least an hour on the wip both days. Yesterday (Sunday) I wrote the next chapter. It's crap. It's sloppy, wandery, and apropos of nothing. Just the day before I was so zeroed in to the story, words, appropriate words, were falling off my fingers and onto the keyboard. Luckily — for my book — I'll be too busy today to do any writing.
Two more chapters and I'll be through with the first draft. But I have to say the last half of the wip is in a sorry state. Well, I like editing. It's the original words that come hard to me. Once I get it down and don't have to think where everything is leading, the edits come easy.
Two more chapters and I'll be through with the first draft. But I have to say the last half of the wip is in a sorry state. Well, I like editing. It's the original words that come hard to me. Once I get it down and don't have to think where everything is leading, the edits come easy.
Haha. Good idea. Would you believe I've never seen it? Think I'll rent it, put it up on my big screen.
Really? I love taking bits that I already worked really hard on and deleting them in favor of spending further hours wracking my brains for original thoughts as what seemed like amazing ideas slowly turn into the equivalent of mental earwax.
My condolences entirely.
I learned that I wrote a murder mystery. Without knowing it. How the heck did I do that, you ask? Well, I am a lookback pantser to the extreme. I literally have no idea what I will write until about two paragraphs before I write it. So what did I do? Dropped vague hints about the girl who was murdered in the room my MC rents. Hints got less and less vague, until they became important, and then central, and then come full circle in the climax of the novel as we realize they are the catalyst for the whole stupid plot!
Why, brain, why. I don't like mystery novels. I don't read them, I don't find them interesting. But apparently I darn well went and wrote one. Spent two days straightening out all the kinks that stupid bit of plotting caused, may I never do it again.
I hope the killer is quite mysterious, because I didn't have a darn clue until about a chapter before the identity was announced. If it kept me in the dark, hopefully it will baffle the reader to an equal degree. Maybe?
Trying to figure out if I'm going to drastically change the ending to a novel I thought was edited to death. Ug. Also thinking about digging into a potential urban fantasy graphic novel. Thinking about how to find an artist.
He's just taken a substance of a doubious nature and is tripping through a phantasmagorical chamber of portents and metaphors.
I predict several rewrites of this one, and a few hours perfecting whimsical nomenclature of the compound.
I predict several rewrites of this one, and a few hours perfecting whimsical nomenclature of the compound.
The unarmed MC is frozen in fear because a warrior woman just spotted her. The warrior woman slips her hand inside her sleeve, and the MC knows she'll see a poisoned tipped knife in this woman's hand any second. MC is unarmed, she can't fight, and she has no idea what she'll do. Then a hand claps down on the MC's shoulder and this assassin whispers in her ear, "Hold your ground and trust me. I'll handle this." Shit's about to go down
I've discovered that my process is me just writing random scene to random scene.
Let's see, from today's session, Miss Moss crossed the town line to meet her estranged father and sister. She was not happy about it, but she didn't have a choice; the danger is escalating and she needs to spill her secret before it's too late. What's the secret? Not sure yet
Let's see, from today's session, Miss Moss crossed the town line to meet her estranged father and sister. She was not happy about it, but she didn't have a choice; the danger is escalating and she needs to spill her secret before it's too late. What's the secret? Not sure yet
On my mind: which version of next to last chapter to use. The one where Owain lays into Slate with his poker (well, that's what he calls it), or the one where he walks away sobbing?
Amongst the parched grass and butterflies matt stumbles upon an unlikely headstone.
There is only one possible explanation. This is the game changer.
There is only one possible explanation. This is the game changer.
Just about to do the final pre-beta edit of part 5 of 7 . . . my favorite section of the whole thing. Unfortunately this chapter begins with some rocky bits where I know I ought to flesh out a couple scenes but just don't want to.
To flesh them out before I send them to beta, or to send them to beta and see if anyone complains . . . ?
To flesh them out before I send them to beta, or to send them to beta and see if anyone complains . . . ?
Dirk Bentley (second draft): Holly just escaped from Rigby, with a little spiritual help from ghosts Heather and Victor. She steals his keys and runs to the nearest convenience store for help.
Granted, I am still a starry eyed writer versus an actual author, but I read some advice once that seems appropriate. We sometimes think things are wrong with our MS that really are not wrong and sometimes we think things are fine when our betas see glaring holes.
I say let it ride and see who notices. More fun that way!
I've discovered that my process is me just writing random scene to random scene.
Let's see, from today's session, Miss Moss crossed the town line to meet her estranged father and sister. She was not happy about it, but she didn't have a choice; the danger is escalating and she needs to spill her secret before it's too late. What's the secret? Not sure yet
Same
That happens a lot, but I actually find it to be giving the novel more life. I can always tweak things a bit later if needed, but for now it keeps me thinking of all the reasons why and ways how I'd make things connect properly to that random later scene I've written. Usually it shows that I've known all the answers I needed all along, just had to dig them out.Not sure who's writing my novel in those cases. Maybe characters - probably characters. I'm considering calling myself a ghostwriter.
As for where I am, I just wrote such a floating future scene in which a character dies. Today I see that my Beta told me it's her favourite character so far.
Heh.
MC, after getting the cold shoulder from her friends, goes to talk to the source of her troubles only to find him naked and waiting for her.
I'm taking a break from pushing forward to instead give a third pass over some muchly appreciated feedback I got from a fellow AWer.
Other than that, the story is roughly 2/3rds of the way done, around 50-someodd thousand words.
MC 2 is in the process of breaking away from MC 1 because MC 1 now has a family and children along with other duties that he has to see to, and MC 2 takes that as surefire abandonment.
What about you?
Other than that, the story is roughly 2/3rds of the way done, around 50-someodd thousand words.
MC 2 is in the process of breaking away from MC 1 because MC 1 now has a family and children along with other duties that he has to see to, and MC 2 takes that as surefire abandonment.
What about you?