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What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

footinmouth

Everybody wants to be a princess
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After weeks of revising and making it 3/4 of the way through the book with only minor changes, I have an epiphany that is going to make me re-write half the work that I've already done. It makes the story so much better and it's breaking me off the writer's block I've had for the past 3 weeks. But now I'm swamped with work and family and I have no time to sit down and write. It just makes me sad.
 

Karu55

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Currently working at my most successful (in terms of progress) project right now. 39k words in, the end is in sight, though I will have to add - especially at the beginning - stuff after finishing that first draft. Luckily that's not meat I have to add for the sake of it, rather than because it's neccessary. The problem is that the days I actually write are getting scarce. I will get through this, no doubt what so ever, but it would be nice, finally getting done with the first version. We will see. Aside from that, super happy with my progress.
 
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Atalanta

Bring me a knitting needle.
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Got another 3k rewritten. The weird thing is that my two POV protagonists have such different voices -- one of them responds well to electronic-editing, while the other (the part I'm on now) desperately needs a print-edit. I can play around with it on my computer as much as I want, but I have no ear for pacing unless it's on paper.

But that's going to have to wait. I'm editing for content now, not pacing -- or at least that's what I keep telling myself...
 

LupineMoon

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Finally back in the grove after not having any motivation for a good month. It feels so good.
 

kkbe

Huh.
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Motivation really is a fickle beast, speaking of which, I wrote a synopsis yesterday and asked squirrels to have a go. They were so nice, ripping my synopsuck thingie to shreds. Actually, they really helped me. Today, wrote version two.

Oy.


I have to tell myself I can do this. The alternative is, you know.
 

Justin K

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I'm very excited about my story as I maneuver through chapter one. I'm looking forward to a SYW as I feel that it has a great voice and feel.
 

southbel

Bless Your Heart
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On this latest WIP, I've been writing mainly in the later evenings due to excessive work stuff. Now, I can't seem to find the ability to write unless it's in the late evening. Kind of driving me nuts because I actually have extra time to write more and yet, crickets when I try.
 

Scattergorie

You talkin' to me??
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I feel like such a numb-nuts. One of my ancillary characters (a distant cousin of my MC) arrived for a funeral today and was quite insulted that I had been laboring under the false impression that her family was of Highland Scots ancestry. The CHEEK!!! They're Danes dammit! DANES! Why didn't I see that earlier??

No wonder the gentlemen raised such a stink about having to don kilts!
 

Mary-ellen D

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I'm feeling :( Out of the last couple of reviews on writing sites, I feel like my work is not very good. Although they all try to be constructive, I take it poorly. Time to thicken my skin!
Any words of advice?
And, has anyone heard that you should not start a novel with someone waking up in the morning? Sounds picky to me.
 

jkosbart

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Wishing I could stop waking up at 4 AM with tumbling thoughts about my story! I wish my brain could just save it for like...7 AM when I'm up and ready to deal with it. But no, for the last few days...4 AM on the dot my ideas spring to life and wake me up.
 

rwm4768

practical experience, FTW
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I won Camp NaNo yesterday. Of course, the book is nowhere near done just yet.
 

Scattergorie

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I really need to try Camp NaNo one of these... years. Heh. It might help to curb all of the navel gazing and daisy picking that currently goes on when I sit down at the computer. :e2flowers

Congrats RWM!
 

Blinkk

Searching for dragons
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I just did the math and I started my WIP June 2012. That's almost two years, and I've got 73k words. lol, not as good as some people but this is the furthest I've ever gotten. I'm so determined to FINISH THE FIRST DRAFT. I'm close to finishing!

I love these characters. They crack me up, and every time I saunter away from the things I planned and let them take over, they pleasantly surprise me. They wrote this story more than I did.
 

Atalanta

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I'm feeling :( Out of the last couple of reviews on writing sites, I feel like my work is not very good. Although they all try to be constructive, I take it poorly. Time to thicken my skin!
Any words of advice?
And, has anyone heard that you should not start a novel with someone waking up in the morning? Sounds picky to me.

My skin is so thin it might as well be transparent, which is not only bad for my publishing prospects, but also kind of gross. So I can't help you there, unless it's to recommend my favorite panacea: brandy. Or, failing that, chocolate.

As for starting a novel with someone waking up -- it's a cliche. Some readers won't notice, others will roll their eyes. I did it in the second novel I ever wrote -- worse, he woke up from a dream. *ducks thrown tomatoes* If you're writing just to learn the skill, don't worry about it. Someday you'll look back on it and realize "Oh! Waking up is boring." and you'll be a better writer. ;)

I won Camp NaNo yesterday. Of course, the book is nowhere near done just yet.

Congrats!! :partyguy:

I still haven't tried Camp Nano. Well, I mean, I signed up once and then totally forgot about it until November. :D
 

Mary-ellen D

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My skin is so thin it might as well be transparent, which is not only bad for my publishing prospects, but also kind of gross. So I can't help you there, unless it's to recommend my favorite panacea: brandy. Or, failing that, chocolate.

As for starting a novel with someone waking up -- it's a cliche. Some readers won't notice, others will roll their eyes. I did it in the second novel I ever wrote -- worse, he woke up from a dream. *ducks thrown tomatoes* If you're writing just to learn the skill, don't worry about it. Someday you'll look back on it and realize "Oh! Waking up is boring." and you'll be a better writer. ;)
Ah, chocolate, the cure all! Sweet. I did one that started with a dream and got nailed for that too. UGH. All these rules. Problem is there are too many books so ideas have been repeated. LOL. JK. I did change it.
Thanks for your reply~
 

LupineMoon

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I found lots of quotes to use as epigraphs (I think that's the right word) for my chapters, but since most of them are copyrighted and I don't want to bother with permissions if I can help it, I'm trying to find equivalent quotes in public domain literature and failing.
 

Anna Spargo-Ryan

Just pokin' about
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I'm feeling beyond insecure about my ability to plot. I think I'm okay on character and place, but story? No idea. I seem to end up with characters that just drift through their existence, but if I deliberately throw obstacles in their way I feel like it's contrived and stupid.

I suspect this may cause some problems for my writing.
 

Tepelus

And so...
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Ah, chocolate, the cure all! Sweet. I did one that started with a dream and got nailed for that too. UGH. All these rules. Problem is there are too many books so ideas have been repeated. LOL. JK. I did change it.
Thanks for your reply~

Start with screaming goats. Mine starts with screaming goats and, uh, er . . . I guess that's not good advice since I still can't get people to read the darn thing.

Never mind.
 

Lythande

I, am that is.
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I am considering revising a novella I was proud of threeish or fourish years ago... Bah, revision. Then I need to figure out what you can actually do with a novella.
 

MkMoore

Treasure-hunter
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Stuck between revising one thing and worldbuilding another. I'm not actually WRITING and it's frustrating.

On a brighter note, I'm getting to research all kinds of interesting things.
 

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy
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Having an unfinished book on sub is a really great way to light a fire under my ass - in the 6 weeks since it went to publishers I've written 20k, whereas it took me 2.5 years to write the first 80k! If I keep up this pace I could be done by the end of the summer. Now I just need that offer...
 

southbel

Bless Your Heart
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I was thinking I would get caught up on my WIP today since work was a bit crazy the last few days, which meant I did not write. However, it's an awfully beautiful day outside and the boat is beckoning. Hmm.
 

V.J. Allison

Sunny with a Side of Evilness
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I think I'm starting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel for the current WIP... It's been less than three months since I conceived the initial idea, I'm only two months into writing it part time and I'm close to being halfway finished its first draft already.

This never happens this fast for me... Normally at this stage of a new WIP, I'm lucky to have the first line written in Chapter 1.

Something has lit a huge fire under my caboose and whatever did it, THANK YOU! :D