Old People Writing for Teens, IV

I made a little progress, but now I'm back in summer classes and it's SLOWING me down! My word count goal is now 500-1,000 words a day. I just can't get over the chapter 1-2 revision hump. I am like halted with continuing forward because I keep going back to revise those chapters.

Smiley, I'm jealous. I had a layover in the Zurich airport once and what I saw of Switzerland was gorgeous, even though it wasn't much.

I'm up to about 21,500k on my WIP. My plan is at least in the 60s. I've only been working on it about two weeks though, so this is a good sign for me! I'm trying hard to not self-edit as I go and I already know I'll have a lot of revisions, but I'll worry about that when I'm done.

A belated congrats, Smiley!

yellowhammer said:

I made a little progress, but now I'm back in summer classes and it's SLOWING me down! My word count goal is now 500-1,000 words a day. I just can't get over the chapter 1-2 revision hump. I am like halted with continuing forward because I keep going back to revise those chapters.

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Oh, how I feel your pain!

I haven't written for two days because I am STUCK! I really like this scene but my beta reader thinks it is too "light" for what has progressed within the novel. I'm thinking I could add an angsty chat with the mc and her 'bff' but...ugh...don't know how. Any suggestions?

I feel bad - I've been writing more lately...

Woah Parump. It's been to long, girl. I LOVE that new signature you have going on!

Hi - long time no see

Yeah, busy writing on book #2 in the series coming out. 28k so far


How are you? How's things?

Stiger05 said:

Smiley, I'm jealous. I had a layover in the Zurich airport once and what I saw of Switzerland was gorgeous, even though it wasn't much.

I'm up to about 21,500k on my WIP. My plan is at least in the 60s. I've only been working on it about two weeks though, so this is a good sign for me! I'm trying hard to not self-edit as I go and I already know I'll have a lot of revisions, but I'll worry about that when I'm done.

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That many words in two weeks?! I'm jealous. Do you have kids?

It would take a lot of Disney movies and neglect for me to get that much work done, lol!

Smiley0501 said:

I haven't written for two days because I am STUCK! I really like this scene but my beta reader thinks it is too "light" for what has progressed within the novel. I'm thinking I could add an angsty chat with the mc and her 'bff' but...ugh...don't know how. Any suggestions?

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Take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am only just starting this whole beta reader journey, myself, but I would go with your gut, unless it's an issue that more than one beta reader has brought up. Have you had anyone else read it? I only ask because the two betas I just got notes back from both mentioned a specific point, but they had pretty extreme opposite opinions on it.

justbishop said:

That many words in two weeks?! I'm jealous. Do you have kids?

It would take a lot of Disney movies and neglect for me to get that much work done, lol!

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Haha, no, just pets and a husband. But I do most my writing at work, sshhh. It's been really slow and it's either that or stare into space for most the day. I try to get chapter a day done during the week, but the pets and hubby take up my weekends.

Thanks for the advice, Ashley. I'm just having trouble writing this scene so I haven't put *any wordage* down in 3 days. Siiiigh. Oh well,I'll get past this. Maybe I just need a few more days off from writing.

Hope everyone is doing well

I'm seeing $now Wh!te & The Hunt$man today. Kind of nervous (all bad professional reviews) but it looks sooo good.

Smiley0501 said:

Thanks for the advice, Ashley. I'm just having trouble writing this scene so I haven't put *any wordage* down in 3 days. Siiiigh. Oh well,I'll get past this. Maybe I just need a few more days off from writing.

Hope everyone is doing well

I'm seeing $now Wh!te & The Hunt$man today. Kind of nervous (all bad professional reviews) but it looks sooo good.

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Well, then write something! Anything!

My husband and I are both pretty morally opposed to Kristen Stuart after the whole Twilight debaucle, but have both found ourselves thinking that the Snow White movie actually looked decent.

ETA: another "just out of curiousity" question...how old are all of you "old" people? I'm *sniffsniff* 33

Having a bit of trouble here...

I was going to start a new WIP today. It's a story that's been simmering for a few months now. I was legitimately excited about getting it down on paper which is rare for me because sometimes I have starter's anxiety.

Then I made the mistake of reading about first sentences on Mary Kole's Kidlit blog. And, ugh, I completely psyched myself out. Back to being anxious. How can one sentence be so important?

Even if I keep telling myself it's the first sentence of the first draft and *will* 100% change, it doesn't help! Ugh.

I think Snow White looks awesome. There. I said it.

And K. Stewart isn't so bad. I hate the Twilight books, but I read them along with everyone else. I think she actually played Bella how I imagined stupid Bella to be in the book. Bella was practically helpless and annoying the entire time. Let's not disillusion ourselves into thinking Bella is a Katniss or Hermione...

As an actress though... Has anyone seen her in Speak? She's awesome.

Maybe she can redeem herself in Snow White.

Yeasayer said:

Having a bit of trouble here...

I was going to start a new WIP today. It's a story that's been simmering for a few months now. I was legitimately excited about getting it down on paper which is rare for me because sometimes I have starter's anxiety.

Then I made the mistake of reading about first sentences on Mary Kole's Kidlit blog. And, ugh, I completely psyched myself out. Back to being anxious. How can one sentence be so important?

Even if I keep telling myself it's the first sentence of the first draft and *will* 100% change, it doesn't help! Ugh.

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I hear you! I always change my beginnings, though. You just have to allow yourself to do something mediocre the first time, and later, after revision, you'll have a clearer idea of where you want to start and what you want to say.

Good luck on brainstorming your first line!

Yeasayer said:

Having a bit of trouble here...

I was going to start a new WIP today. It's a story that's been simmering for a few months now. I was legitimately excited about getting it down on paper which is rare for me because sometimes I have starter's anxiety.

Then I made the mistake of reading about first sentences on Mary Kole's Kidlit blog. And, ugh, I completely psyched myself out. Back to being anxious. How can one sentence be so important?

Even if I keep telling myself it's the first sentence of the first draft and *will* 100% change, it doesn't help! Ugh.

Click to expand...

Think of it this way: Say you already have the perfect opening line. It will get you the "Opening Line of the Year Award." It is great. If you post it on SYW and anyone says it's bad I'll buy a gun and blow his/her head off. Don't worry.

But your story is still an WIP, isn't it? What good does it make when agents flock to your house after the award and want your MS and you don't have one? Opening line alone doesn't sell.

Finish your story first.

yellowhammer said:

I think Snow White looks awesome. There. I said it.

And K. Stewart isn't so bad. I hate the Twilight books, but I read them along with everyone else. I think she actually played Bella how I imagined stupid Bella to be in the book. Bella was practically helpless and annoying the entire time. Let's not disillusion ourselves into thinking Bella is a Katniss or Hermione...

As an actress though... Has anyone seen her in Speak? She's awesome.

Maybe she can redeem herself in Snow White.

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I try to ignore the fact she was in Twilight. "Into the Wild" was pretty good. I think Snow White looks awesome so I hope it's good.

@justbishop: I'm 29.

I liked her in Zathura

Yeasayer said:

Having a bit of trouble here...

I was going to start a new WIP today. It's a story that's been simmering for a few months now. I was legitimately excited about getting it down on paper which is rare for me because sometimes I have starter's anxiety.

Then I made the mistake of reading about first sentences on Mary Kole's Kidlit blog. And, ugh, I completely psyched myself out. Back to being anxious. How can one sentence be so important?

Even if I keep telling myself it's the first sentence of the first draft and *will* 100% change, it doesn't help! Ugh.

Click to expand...

Just get going. Read the chapter in Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird on Shitty First Drafts. I'm not comfortable linking, because I'm fairly certain some of the folks who've reprinted it on the web don't have Lamott's permission to do so, but you can probably find at least excerpts of it on the web. A better option would be to just mosey over to your local bookstore and grab the book though--I adore so much about the writing advice in that book.

It's easier to change something not so good than to produce something new.

I agree. Write the second page, if you have to. Skip the first paragraph, or type BRILLIANT OPENING HERE and get on to the first scene you can muster to get the story off the ground and running.

I do not like Kristen Stewart's acting in the Twilight series, except in New Moon. The comatose phase is perfect for her.

Snow White and the Huntsman looks good. I am looking forward to a review here, in the old people thread.

I am 42 (and loving this stage of life). It seems "old" here is a huge umbrella. LOL.

@JustBishop: I'm 41

I've been working so much overtime that I've only got 1K written this week. Pretty sad. Hopefully I can at least slide in 500 words a day next week so I can slowly get to my goal. Too bad I'm not rich so I can quit my job and concentrate on writing. Yet, anyway, lol.

*sticks head in* Hello. Is this a private party? I can't help crashing something that was recently a Kristen Stewart discussion. Oh, she is my favorite guilty pleasure, right up there with Taylor Swift.

to try and keep this on topic, I adore Bird by Bird. It was the first writing book I ever read, and I'm pretty sure nothing will ever measure up.

I just saw Snow White & the Huntsman and really enjoyed it (particularly the aspect of a patriarchal society and how women respond to that -- I just did a whole thesis on it in The G0lden Compass (well how women play gender roles to their advantage, using their sexuality to get power) )

Sorry I've been 'missing' as of late...my high school friend is up for the weekend. Hope everyone is well

glad to know the movie was good

'Kay, I'm gonna whine a second, please beware.

When an online acquaintance of mine said she'd been approached by a publisher who hadn't seen anything but her fanfiction, I suggested that perhaps she do some research into the house (I don't know which one) and directed her to Writer Beware and here. That houses approaching you, even in this day of explosions in small presses, is still rare enough that it's a red flag.

She responded by telling me the sky is falling in the publishing industry and what used to hold true doesn't hold any longer.

I don't buy it, and I'm tired of the mentality that just because things are changing, it's a great idea to jump headlong into contracts and/or self-publishing because those people are at the cusp of the wave. If anything, if you believe there are seismic changes happening in the trade publishing industry (which I think is doubtful, but I could see an argument for it), then wouldn't it be the time to do *more* research into your options rather than less?

grrr. And now being all riled up is interfering with my progress on my Camp NaNo project.