College Students Writing For Teens

savagelilies

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Congrats! And how do you do it? Not pantsing, I mean. I can't not-pants (wow, that sounds silly--but I'm sure you know what I mean!).
 

rynthewin

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I dunno. I've been a panster all my life, but this time I decided to try Blake Snyder's beat system since it sounded vague enough to fill in gaps but solid enough for me to have a timeline. I'm adding things in as I go, but having a solid timeline of where I was going, what was happening, and where I was going to end up was a really comforting way to begin. Also, when I get bored going through the first scenes I can hop to a scene that interests me.
 

Bookgirl2021

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I used to definitely be a 95% pantser, with the other 5% being having a vague idea in my head of where I was going. Then OLS happened, and it had been stirring around in my head long enough that I had about 75% of the story figured out before I started it. I didn't actually make an outline for that one, but I'd been thinking about it for about 2-2 1/2 years. Then AM happened, and I ended up making an outline. It wasn't using anybody's system, though. I just sat down and figured out what needed to happen when, and put together a loose chapter-by-chapter outline. It's fairly detailed, but also has wiggle room for unexpected adventures. :tongue
 

The Illusionist

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I dunno. I've been a panster all my life, but this time I decided to try Blake Snyder's beat system since it sounded vague enough to fill in gaps but solid enough for me to have a timeline. I'm adding things in as I go, but having a solid timeline of where I was going, what was happening, and where I was going to end up was a really comforting way to begin. Also, when I get bored going through the first scenes I can hop to a scene that interests me.

I literally just blogged yesterday about a handy little tool a fellow blogger made available for us all.

She mad an exel sheet based on Blake Snyder's beat sheet and all you have to do is enter your actual wordcount if you are editing or your projected one if you are still planning/writing and it will tell you around which wordcount/pages you should hit which beat.

Of course it isn't a hard and fast rule but it is a good guide to improve your pacing! The link is in my blog post (link to my blog bellow) sorry I'm not posting it here but I'm on the go and don't have the time to find it right now :D
 

InsanitySquares

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Never heard of Blake Snyder's beat sheet before, might just have to take a look at it and see if it can help me finally finish this first draft. So close to the end but I'm just bored of it now, been drafting on and off for over two years now.
 

Bookgirl2021

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Welcome to my life. I've never finished anything in less than eighteen months. The only thing I *did* finish in eighteen is OLS, which, like I said, I'd been planning for about two years before I actually started it. Everything else has taken about two years (or a little more). I've been working on AM for....two years in October.
 

jr0127

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So..... How's writing going for everybody (...anybody?)?

Unfortunately slow haha. I've gotten stuck on page 120 in my female protag's voice because I've been writing in my male's so long (it's a split perspective story) I feel like I'm gonna need some time to find her voice again. She also just happens to be caught in the middle of a shootout between the police, FBI, and her kidnappers. So until I visualize the scene more clearly I'm stuck -_-

How's yours going :)?
 

Bookgirl2021

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Okay. It's getting hard because I'm so close to being finished. I've worked on this project for a year and a half, and I think my brain is beginning to panic about what I'm going to do when I'm done.
 

rynthewin

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Okay. It's getting hard because I'm so close to being finished. I've worked on this project for a year and a half, and I think my brain is beginning to panic about what I'm going to do when I'm done.

Congratulations! Though I can understand why you're worrying, that's an amazing accomplishment. I'm rooting for you! I'm sure you'll get into the groove of revisions the same way you got into writing.

As for my project, I'm really happy. I got some really helpful advice from a few people here at AW and now I'm not so upset about my MC's flip-flopping characterization. I've gotten 16k in 9 days, and if I get 9k more then I'll have beaten my longest written work in length.
 

Bookgirl2021

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It's not worrying because of lack of things to do. I have at least four options to work on once I finish. And that's not counting revisions. ...At least, not on this project. It's more just because I've been working on this for so long. It's not even close to the longest I've worked on something, but I only have one project that had as much go into it as this one. And that one was a historical fantasy (fantasy only because of a minimal amount of time travel :tongue). I'm pretty sure the reason that one didn't kill me to finish was just because I knew if I *didn't* finish it before my friends got back from tour, I wouldn't finish it for at least another three months. So I finished about three hours before they got back.
 

Krissy Reynolds

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It's not worrying because of lack of things to do. I have at least four options to work on once I finish. And that's not counting revisions. ...At least, not on this project. It's more just because I've been working on this for so long. It's not even close to the longest I've worked on something, but I only have one project that had as much go into it as this one. And that one was a historical fantasy (fantasy only because of a minimal amount of time travel :tongue). I'm pretty sure the reason that one didn't kill me to finish was just because I knew if I *didn't* finish it before my friends got back from tour, I wouldn't finish it for at least another three months. So I finished about three hours before they got back.

I understand that!! I've been working on my YA for years. I've only started writing it in the last year or so, but I've had this idea and been plotting it for like four years. Each time I get to about 60,000K I hit a wall and then go back and rewrite.

I really think I don't want to finish it because I've been on this one idea for so long and moving on to the next in the series (yes, the worst part is I'm not even concluding the book) seems so daunting and feels kind of surreal that I will be done with the first one after so much work and time I put into this one.
 

Bookgirl2021

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Finishing is hard. Even when you've been looking forward to the climax and final resolution since you started writing. I'm really hoping to finish some time this week, though. I have revisions on an old project I need to do, and then another project that I want to at least have one draft finished before Thanksgiving. So basically 5 1/2 months.
 

Krissy Reynolds

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I hope you reach your goal! 5 1/2 months, to me, is a good time range to write, especially when you put your mind to it.

I always want to write faster and finish quickly (well, I go by chapters), and then I always regret it when is speed through them. When I go back and reread, I see that I jumped from point A to point C. Haha
 

Bookgirl2021

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If I actually do that, I'll have written it faster than anything I've ever done. I just feel like I need to have it finished before my best friend gets home. He gets back right around Thanksgiving.
 

Krissy Reynolds

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Why are you trying to finish it before he gets home? Do you have him read it or will just be busy when he gets back?
 

Bookgirl2021

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I would like him to read it, but there's also a chance things will change a lot when he gets home. I'll also be pretty busy.
 

savagelilies

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I registered for my classes today!

I finally decided to major in English lit, and minor in Philosophy and Sexual Diversity Studies. I might end up changing my minor in Phil into a major later on, we'll see. But, I've made up my mind for the time being, and that's good enough. It at least gave me an idea what to choose in terms of classes next fall, whereas before... I had no idea. :D Now, at least, I'm in the ballpark of what I want to do.
 

Smiley0501

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:tongue


I also blogged:D

I haven't been writing-I was away at a friend's visiting so I am hoping to get some writing in this week :) I think I am like 4 scenes from being done with this round of revisions :snoopy:
 

Bookgirl2021

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Did you know that (traditionally) in Denmark that means "I love you"? :D

I haven't been writing-I was away at a friend's visiting so I am hoping to get some writing in this week :) I think I am like 4 scenes from being done with this round of revisions :snoopy:

I haven't been writing as much as I should've been. I'm procrastinating. I want to finish, but don't. But really do. ...But kinda don't.....
 

Smiley0501

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No I had no idea. *note to self- don't use that face in Denmark* :cool:

You can do it. I just want this round to be done with so I can send it to betas and then get it back again. Plus I'm still waiting on an internship app (darn you BEA, causing the pub world to go quiet :tongue) and also on an agent's crit of my first 30 pgs. *siiiigh* I hate waiting.
 

Bookgirl2021

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No I had no idea. *note to self- don't use that face in Denmark* :cool:

You can do it. I just want this round to be done with so I can send it to betas and then get it back again. Plus I'm still waiting on an internship app (darn you BEA, causing the pub world to go quiet :tongue) and also on an agent's crit of my first 30 pgs. *siiiigh* I hate waiting.

Me too. The worst, though, is when you're waiting forever just to get a rejection. And, honestly, I'm not sure which are worse: form rejections, or personalized ones. ...Especially the ones that are really nice.